Quixotic
by ElfMaidenOfLight
Summary: AC 202. Post EW. The Preventers, an elite force, protect high-ranking officials in this new era of peace- and Heero Yuy is the best among them. But when a supposedly simple operation, to infiltrate a new-age commune within the capitol, heralds the arrival of a prophetic shooting star, Heero must once again fight for the future of Earth, the Colonies, and maybe the whole of mankind.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- This story takes place a little over 5 years from Endless Waltz. It incorporates lots of canon information from the series/OAV and then moves into a new adventure. However, I would not consider this AU as the rules of the Wing universe are still in play. Also: I've not read Frozen Teardrop (the whole chronology of the story confuses the fuck out of me) so I won't be focusing on integrating too much of the serialization.

Hope you enjoy. As always, I don't own Gundam Wing. If I did, I'd write a new series.

* * *

**Quixotic**

adj. Chivalrous or romantic, to a ridiculous or extravagant degree.

* * *

"_This is the only thing I can do for you right now."_

Truer lines were never spoken, and in his life, he'd said them twice.

Both times to women, if that were anything to go by. He was starting to think it was.

The first, to a grieving girl over the mistaken death of her Grandfather. It was the only course of action he could find to complete his failed mission. Looking back, Heero could concede that Sylvia Noventa had been right; he'd been a coward.

Revenge. That how he thought the grieving souls of the deceased's families were eased. That's what he was taught in relation to the Colonies, and to Earth. It was naïve. He knew now; revenge only lead to meaningless battles. Apparently illegitimate children did too, but in retrospect, none of them could have seen that coming.

"_This is the only thing I can do for you right now."_

The second time, it felt like those words had come from a different man. Although both instances could have resulted in his death, it was different when saying them to Relena as she clutched the edge of Wing Zero's cockpit, her helmet thrust over the controls into his face. More… hopeful. At least, 'hope' was how he identified the feeling. She was the first person to ever give him some semblance of hope. She was the first person who ever gave a damn about him coming back alive, more so even then himself.

His life had always been compartmentalized into missions. Missions like his father had, or so he gathered, from the files he was able to recover before taking Zero offline for good.

He supposed he had once thought of Relana as a mission too. The whole careening wake of her, that swept him up in its relentless tenderness. Affection will rationalize strange things, and when you act on your emotions, the lines tend to get a bit blurred.

It made him wonder about the circumstances of his birth, of Mariemaia's, of all of them. Of all the ones who came before and all the ones who would come after. It made him wonder how such fucked up people as his father's generation could have given birth to children. But he had to remind himself, their children had turned out pretty fucked up too.

But he was getting off topic.

Heero would always need an end goal, he knew that. If protecting Relena was that end goal, he would lay his life down. But it was foolish to dismiss the fact that he cared about her. He did. She was a part of him as much as his Gundam was, more even; because he was content to send Zero into the sun while he was pretty sure he'd go on a homicidal rampage if anything were to ever happen to the (formerly Vice) Foreign Minister.

He could explain this to her, but she would undoubtedly pout reminiscent of an unhappy debutant, and ask him why he didn't 'live for himself'. He couldn't help it. She was… if it were not for her he would be dead. If not for her he wouldn't know what is _was_ to live.

Heero realized quite early on that these were the kind of things women like to hear. It stroked their egos. But he couldn't say them. It wasn't that his feelings were false, but in all honesty, he was a bit embarrassed about them.

Relena could be intimidating, although he'd never admit it out loud. Still, those who knew him well enough could pick up on it.

"Pah, women… _do_ that," Duo Maxwell would converse casually during mission down time. He'd cross his arms over the chest of his borrowed Preventer's uniform- he'd become one of the organization's part-time contractors- and tilt his head back, as if he'd gone from The God of Death to The God of Relationship Wisdom. "They fuck with your _mind_, man."

Not that he would ever, _ever,_ ask Duo Maxwell for romantic advice. The man was a constant revolving door of bickering, sulking, and making-up with his wife. Most of what the braided pilot had to say came unsolicited, and usually required the silent treatment or a good threat to shut him up.

"Sometimes you've gotta take control, Heero! Women like that kind of thing."

Heero adjusted the digital focus on a pair of binoculars and ignored the comment. He and his loud-mouthed partner were currently tailing the head of a small group of 'freedom fighters' in the Capitol. It was rumored they were planning on causing a disturbance during the upcoming Mars Terraforming Commission's conference in a few days.

Relena would be there.

There was no doubt he'd be on her personal security detail.

He knew he was the best, and that's why they always assigned him to her. It wouldn't have mattered, he'd have volunteered anyway, but they put him on the roster like it was a given. Sometimes, he thought, they wanted to see if he'd refuse. Like it was a test. They wanted to see how long he'd stay stoically by her side; how long it would take before his feelings got the better of his protocol.

Did he love Relena? It would certainly be better for them both if he didn't. Less complicated. But then, he was starting to think life ever being 'less complicated' was a bit of a pipe dream.

"Be rough with her. You know," Duo continued, munching on a bag of something loud and obnoxious in the unmarked car's passenger seat, "throw her up against the wall, rip off her pantsuit, threaten her life- heh, I almost forgot, you've already done that last one."

Through the lens, Heero could see their target down the street being escorted into an inconspicuous building. "I'm warning you now to stop talking, while you still have all your fingers." He typed the building's address down on the cruiser's center console computer pad, one-handed.

Duo rolled his eyes, "Jeez."

"Your lack of focus is the reason the Preventers won't hire you full-time."

"I _do_ run a business too, buddy."

"You're wife runs that business and you gamble away the profits, which is why you're here."

"Are you going to do this the _entire_ mission?"

"Hn." Heero set the goggles down, "They've gone inside."

More typing on the computer pad.

Now that he thought about it, there wasn't really one defining moment where his relationship towards Relena had changed. It was much more fluid. He did know, at one point, that he had been annoyed with her. More than annoyed. She could have compromised his entire mission. But after a few encounters, when he could have clearly disposed of her but hadn't, he realized that she was worth protecting.

At least, politically.

She was important to his mission, a part of his tactical advantage. And then love? Well, that was harder to pinpoint. And even harder to define.

Maybe it really _was_ love. But most of the time, Heero wasn't even sure he could correctly identify the emotion. He certainly did care for her.

Somewhere around the time he spent in the Sanq kingdom his regard for her had grown. When she followed him into space…

Seeing her alive on Libra had nearly undone him. He'd been so flooded with relief. It had taken every ounce of training since he was a child to keep his soldier's cool composure.

Not that it was unrequited. He knew exactly how she felt, which would make a relationship that much more dangerous.

A small voice inside his head reminded him that, for all his stoicism, he'd been unable to completely resist her.

On more than one occasion.

"So, are we gonna do this?" Duo cracked his knuckles as he leered out the windshield.

"No."

That prompted a grumbling, incredulous sigh, "Are you kidding? Then why the hell'd ya bring me out here in the first place if-"

"Cool it," Heero reached behind the passenger seat, pulling back up with him a camo-green duffle bag. He plopped it down on the other pilot's lap. "You've got everything you need in here."

Duo raised en eyebrow as he unzipped the duffle. Inside under the extra shirts, lightweight jacket, and some cash, a handgun glimmered.

"The conference is tomorrow."

"And?"

Heero frowned, "Didn't you read the mission briefing?"

With a cavalier smile, Duo said, "I _never_ read the mission briefing."

Of course.

"You have paperwork claiming you part of the rebel group. It's a conglomeration of a few worldwide cells headed by what they consider a 'divinely inspired' leader. The have gained a… diverse following, so you won't be noticed. I will be covering the Foreign Minister-"

Duo snorted, "I bet you will."

That was ignored, but there was an edge to Heero's voice when he spoke next, "We believe they will try and disrupt the Conference. There's no direct threat to Relena's life, but we want to keep an eye on things."

"Who's covering the President?"

"Wufei."

Duo let out a bark of laughter, "That's perfect. I bet they're having the time of their lives together."

"Dorothy Catalonia has the full support of every Preventer agent."

"Uh-huh."

After a moment, Heero couldn't help the small chuckle at the thought. "No, they don't get along very well at all."

Dorothy Catalonia was the only person in the entire Earth's Sphere that could out-rant Chang. Heero had seen it in action, and after a few failed attempts to gain dominance, Wufei had quietly stopped trying. He hadn't admitted defeat, not exactly, but there was an extreme unwillingness on Wufei's part to engage the President in fights he could not win, even if Dorothy did goad him. Heero surmised that a bit of the man's pride had been tempered as a result.

It was a surprise Sally Po didn't give the other woman some kind of award, for her job was made infinitely easier as a result.

"So," Duo checked the clip before tucking the handgun in waistband of his jeans, "I'm suppose to just walk _in_ there?"

"I thought stealth was your specialty."

Duo popped the passenger door, sliding out and closing it behind him. He leaned in through the open window. "You know," he said, as he adjusted his new jacket, tossing the Preventers one in the backseat, "I'm real glad Relena's been mildly successful in prying you out of your shell, but maybe we could keep the sarcasm to a minimum, buddy."

Heero clipped his seatbelt, raising a pair of dark sunglasses to his face. "Get in touch with headquarters tonight. Until then, you're on your own."

"Yeah. Roger that."

Duo watched the other pilot turn the engine over, adjust his mirrors, check over his shoulder for on-coming traffic. Give me a break, he thought, with an amused grimace.

Heero pulled into the lane and sped out of sight.

Duo cracked his neck. "Well," he said with a huff, "lets do this."

Slinging the bag over one shoulder, the former God of Death now God of Relationship Wisdom, skirted oncoming cars and darted across four lanes of traffic to the other side of the street.

The target building was down the sidewalk by about six full lots, but there was an alley that would lead him around back.

The streets were relatively clean, he thought, if its alleyways were anything to go by. The Capitol was like that though; they kept it pristine in order to make foreign dignitaries feel comfortable and safe. Well, Duo supposed that he and the others were doing their part as well, keeping the Earth Sphere safe from crazy terrorists and post-war nut jobs.

And Heero didn't have to be so mean. So Duo didn't take on _as many _assignments as the others. He certainly took more than Quatre, and he _certainly_ spent more time in the Colonies then Heero ever did anymore. The majority of that guy's time in space was spent guarding Minister Darlian, following her like a scowling shadow.

Maybe it was good thing, the braided pilot surmised, pulling himself over a chain-link fence and dropping down without a sound.

Maybe that close call against Mariemaia had finally knocked some sense into him.

Heh, Duo thought with a grin, then again, it wasn't likely.

Heero didn't necessarily _avoid_ new field assignments, but the ones he did engage in were never longer than a month, and almost _all_ had to do with the Foreign Minister, or the President's, direct safety.

It wasn't, Duo thought, that Heero had no interest in being more involved, it was just that most post-war missions weren't dicey enough to warrant someone with Heero's talents. The Preventers had been dousing relatively tiny 'fires'; it wasn't worth the Perfect Soldier's time. When he could, Heero seemed to enjoy the quiet life of a Bodyguard.

But none of them could stay away forever. Fighting was ingrained within Heero just as much as it was ingrained in the rest of them.

It was why they still took these kinds of missions.

Kneeling, Duo unzipped the duffle bag, pulling out his fake passport and other 'credentials'. He scanned the document.

"Hmm, let's see..."

The organization was called… _Children of the Meteor..._? Duo raised an eyebrow. That was… odd. It looked like they had a small, but vocal, following on the net too. They resided mostly on conspiracy forums, and their beliefs were murky at best.

Guess they saved their real 'business talk' for the in-person meetings.

And they did have a leader they considered to be 'divinely inspired', as Heero had put it.

First Disciple Xen Ferox.

Grand master sir wizard champion of the nut balls. Or whatever.

The guy hadn't been a soldier under OZ, or part of the Treiz Faction; not a member of the Colony rebels, or the White Fang. There were no records of him acting under Marimaya or being a part of Earth's resistance fighters. In fact, there was hardly any background on Ferox at all. It was like he had appeared, right out of the blue, just a couple years ago.

Tucking the papers in his pocket, Duo slung the bag back, peeking around the side of the building. Up ahead, two men with guns stood amidst the shadows of an inconspicuous double doorway. Standing, he threw his shoulders back, took a breath, and strode around into the open alleyway.

He hadn't even walked fully out of the shadows before one of the guards cocked his rifle, pointing it in his direction as they spotted him.

"Stop right there!" The man barked.

Duo's hands flew up, "Hey now, we're all friends here."

There was a tense moment of impasse.

"Look," he continued, "I'm here about the- uh- club meeting? I even brought my dues," he said, motioning to his bag, where the wad of cash weighed heavily against the canvas.

"Don't move!" The guard snapped. "Now step forward, slowly…"

Walking into the light, Duo rolled his eyes. "You are aware those are two completely opposite commands, right? Huh?" He blinked in surprise.

"Lower your weapon," the second guard said in a low, calm voice to his comrade, "I know this guy." Duo squinted into the dark doorway.

Trowa?

The other Preventer agent, dressed in civilian clothing, gave Duo a small smile.

So, he'd gone undercover too.

The first guard lowered his gun, barking gruffly, "Well, lets see some proof then. Show me your invitation." Duo came forward, fished the papers out, and handed them over. The guard, nose wrinkled, looked them over begrudgingly.

"So," Duo shoved his hands in his pockets, addressing Trowa directly. "How long you been here for? We haven't seen each other since that… uh, that thing."

"Since the birthday party."

"Riiight."

Relena had hosted a gala event back in April. All the pilots had been in attendance.

Trowa leaned against the metal doorframe; "I've been here about a week helping with logistical plans for the Conference."

The guard gave a grunt, handing Duo back his papers. "You two know each other through- what?"

"The War," Trowa said, before Duo could even open his mouth. "We became Children right after that, didn't we?"

Duo blinked, "Yeah, that's uh- that's right. That Ferox is one convincing guy!" He hiked the dufflebag higher up his arm. "So, you gonna give me the tour?"

The former pilot nodded, "My shifts over anyway. I'll send out the next one," he told the other guard before opening one of the big metal doors, motioning for Duo to follow. The man still on-duty gave him a sneering, untrusting glare as the braided pilot slipped past into the darkness beyond.

* * *

A/n- Now that I've intrigued you, I guess it's is a good time to let you know that this is kind of a 'sequel' to my 1xR fic _Disarmament_. Really, I guess you could call it a spin-off as the other focused on Relena and this one will focus heavily on Heero.

You CAN read this one without having read the other, but just be aware that some minor information in this story is based on events in 'Disarmament'.

I'm shooting for around 10 chapters, but I always seem to underestimate the length of the plot, so this could very well change into a 12+ chapter story. One can never really plan these things out.

Thanks for reading, please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Quixotic

* * *

**Chapter 2**

* * *

As much as Maxwell was a complete idiot concerning his- and everyone else's'- personal life, at least the man was successful where his missions were concerned. Heero's lip twitched at the thought of Duo's face when he realized he wasn't the only Agent assigned to infiltrate Ferox's group. Adding Barton to the mix assured them an almost flawless outcome, allowing Heero to focus on more… important things.

He flicked the cruiser's blinker before changing lanes.

Like chauffeuring.

He might take on he occasional mission or two, head up a operation remotely, but his primary role- or, what it said next to his codename on the payroll- was still 'bodyguard'. It was decidedly… nice. Quiet. Well, maybe not quiet, but it could be considered borderline catatonic when compared to his life just a few years earlier.

Not having to kill people… not having people want to kill you. It was refreshing.

But sometimes, he missed flying effortlessly through the air; feeling the controls of an 8.0 metric-ton war machine moving effortlessly under the tips of his fingers. For a variety of reasons.

Heero pressed the break pedal as the driver in front of him decided on being inept.

No traffic, for instance

It would be a slow crawl from the Capitol's warehouse district, all the way across town, to the Parliamentary and Embassy buildings. The city streets were sluggish on a good day, but just twenty-four hours away from an official televised speech and the roads turned into their own, special hell. Heero had to switch his brain into stand-by mode just to stave off the monotony of it all.

Heero Yuy liked to go fast. Fast cars, fast motorbikes, and fast mobile suits.

Cruising through a four-way intersection at a mind-numbing fifty km barely registered as a blip on his radar.

Not that he had resigned himself to the company car without a fight, either. For the first few months it had nearly driven him insane; he'd tried to convince Une to sign off on him using his Preventer's SK-5. It was a compact little motorcycle; low to the ground, sturdy, with quite a bit of pick-up-and-go once he'd made the proper modifications. Unfortunately the woman hadn't been too keen on the idea of the Foreign Minister hanging off the back of what she called, "a two-wheel death trap".

But the alternative was the most boring method of transportation he'd ever had the misfortune of piloti - driving. It wasn't his fault. He'd become accustomed to having two vernier rockets strapped to his ass, propelling his tiny metal coffin through the atmosphere fast enough to break bones. Or kill. He's seen both during his training, before he had even stepped a foot inside Wing Gundam.

Heero's right hand strayed from the steering wheel, finger punching the radio dial without having to look. The station preset, already tuned to an ESUN news broadcast, filled the cruiser's cabin with the station's cue music, followed by the host's prompt commentary.

"_It's twelve-thirty Capitol time, and we are EPR, ESUN's public broadcasting station, riding the airwaves from our Capitol headquarters to the colonies, and beyond. I'm your host Kris Theron and today we've got political analyst Doctor J here with us to discuss the upcoming Conference. Welcome, Doctor!"_

Heero blinked in surprise.

Doctor J?

His eyes narrowed where they watched the road.

"_Thank you Kris,_" a woman's voice followed quickly after. _"We're expecting big things with both the President and Foreign Minister in town…"_

He immediately relaxed, shoulders dropping down from where he had unconsciously tensed them. What was he thinking? The man was dead. Exploded into space.

His fingers clenched around the steering wheel, jaw tight.

As much as he owed his life to that man- his survival- Heero supposed that Wufei was right. They had all been irreparably damaged by their experiences while under their various Doctors' "care". He and Chang had spoken a few times on the subject, briefly.

"What do you remember the most? About your training?"

It was one of those times where all other pleasant conversation had been exhausted.

Heero had to think about that one. There were plenty of witnessed horrors. People dying; people he had killed; but those had eventually blended together. Not that he couldn't remember every face of every target he'd eliminated, every breath of burning fuel-soaked air, but it was… not uncommon.

No. It wasn't that.

"The centrifuge."

It was part of his pre-Gundam training, when he was eleven or so; when his life consisted of nothing but sixteen hours of simulation gambits a day.

The first time he'd seen the giant apparatus, Heero had watched the one of the other trainees from the sidelines. He wasn't the only 'apprentice' Doctor J had working for him, but he _was_ the best. He was the Alpha, even though many of the other recruits thought of him as a mere child.

"_Faster."_

_Heero's dark eyes flicked towards Doctor J as he stood at attention in the control room. The technician sitting before the complicated consol grasped one of the toggles and slid it upwards one single notch. The Doctor's mechanical arm clenched with the hollow sound of metal-on-metal as, through the safety glass, they watching the giant swing arm of the centrifuge go around and around and around…_

"_How much is that, now?"_

"_Eight Gs, sir."_

_Reaching forward, the Doctor depressed a button, opening a channel into the cockpit. "How are you feeling, Theta?"_

_They could see the man's picture on the control panel's display. Theta's face was distorted, the skin flung back against the hard bone of the skull. The teeth were barred. Heero supposed that's what happened when your lips were being pulled right off the front of your face. _

"_I-!" The man was struggling for words, yelling as loud as the remaining oxygen in his lungs would allow. "… my- it's tunnel vision, sir! It's start- starting to go dark!" The man sounded… scared._

_Doctor J released the button, and said to the technician, "Put it higher."_

_A muscle in Heero's bicep twitched. _

"_But sir," the young tech protested, "any more and he'll G-LOC."_

"_I know that," Doctor J snapped with a grim smile. "You think OZ isn't pushing their pilots? Testing the limits? This is war! There are consequences! Now put it higher!" He pressed the intercom once again as the machine whirled faster._

_Heero could hear the desperation in Theta's voice, an almost child-like distress. "I can't see! I can't see! Stop! Stop! Stop the test! Stop the-" Theta's body, already plastered against the centrifuge's cockpit, seemed to… change. Any fight, any tension left in the muscles, disappeared. As if the man had suddenly fallen asleep._

_His on-screen vitals plummeted._

_An alarm sounded. _

"_Shut it down."_

_From a separate door into the chamber, a number of medical personnel rushed in, the centrifuge slowing to a stop. As two nurses pushed a wheeled gangplank against the hatch door, another two ran to the adjacent wall, uncoupling an on-sight defibrillator from its casing._

_They extracted Theta's body, carried him down the steps, and laid him upon the floor. Heero watched, remaining impassive, as they ripped open the front of the man's suit, sticking small, wired pads against his chest._

_3-_

_2-_

_Theta's body convulsed. _

_A shiver ran up Heero's spine. He was young still; although talented in almost every field the Doctor tested him, he'd seen little combat. It was still a few months before his first trip to Earth, and his first field assignment. Doctor J had made sure the boy's innocence was weaned fairly early on, but there was still some remaining shreds of childhood left in him then. Those shreds began to swell dangerously as he watched Theta twitch and writhe._

_Finally, the man's chest heaved, a hand shooting up to grasp at one of the nurses' shirt collars, twisting the fabric around quivering fingers._

_Heero let out an inaudible sigh of relief he hadn't realized he'd been holding._

_Doctor J seemed fazed not at all, and clicked his hand. "Reset the test," he told the technician, and then turned to his young protégé, "Well? Go on. You're next."_

The Embassy building, with its white spires and columns, loomed at the end of the street.

Heero pulled the Preventer's cruiser against the designated security parking curb. The blabbing woman on the radio cut off abruptly as he killed the engine, pulling the parking break. Glancing the time on his phone, it was ten minutes until Relena's lunch hour and her security shift change. He checked the gun at his hip before getting out of the car.

"Sir," one of the on-sight guards gave him a salute as he took the stairs up the Embassy's front steps two at a time. The automatic doors slid back, the vaulting ceilings inside echoing with the sound of pattering shoes and telephone rings, the chatter of personnel and shuffling papers.

He gave the woman at the receptionist desk a curt nod as he skirted the security checkpoint. With his level of clearance he wasn't given much trouble when it came to avoiding the metal scanners and pat-downs. It was still regulation, and as much as Heero was one for adherence to mission parameters, he just didn't like the idea of partially undressing- removing his weapon- just so they could look at his badge and wave him through.

And no one ever stopped him.

He'd seen the inside of the Embassy building plenty of times, but it never ceased to impress upon him that, only a few years ago, he would have never thought himself walking freely around a government facility. Not unless he was there to plant explosives or assassinate some political figurehead.

Relena would be in the main conference room off the East Wing…

And now he was protecting one.

Two more Embassy sentries were stationed outside the large wooden double-doors. Relena's personal guard would be inside. It was probably one of the greenhorn recruits. They always stuck the young trainees in relatively safe situations. Here, the Foreign Minister was surrounded by enough security that Heero would be exceptionally surprised if anyone could fuck up _that badly_.

Standing opposite the doors, Heero leaned his shoulders back, folding his arms tightly over his chest; head bowed and one heel to the wall. Peering up from behind his sunglasses, he could see the guards look at him, and then glance at each other.

Hn.

The meeting ran late, by approximately six minutes and forty-three seconds.

He could hear the chairs inside the hall scrape back, and a familiar voice rise over the growing murmurs, "I will be meeting tomorrow morning with the President to discuss these proposals. I except to see each of you in attendance at the conference, but as far as meeting face-to-face, we'll be picking this up next week. I'll be sending out a memo after meet the press tomorrow afternoon." The doors opened, and he could hear her clearly now as the various legislators filed out, "Thank you all for coming!"

Various men and woman in business attire flooded out into the corridor, assistants nipping at their heels. Heero stood aside, waiting, until the only remaining figure other than Minister Darlian was a young aid. The two were poring over some overlarge document laid open upon the table. Relena's head was down, finger pointing to something, until she seemed to notice she was being watched.

Her bright blue eyes, catching the light filtering in from the room's tall windows, trailed up from the desk, up through the open door, and caught his dark, glowering stare. The 'all-business' pout to her lips cracked; he could see her smile.

"Is that all?" She asked the aid, who nodded, rolling up the document. "Alright then. I'm going to lunch."

Straightening up, turning, her embroidered vest glinted as she whirled around to grab her jacket slung over the back of a chair. Her hair was still quite long; she had to lift it up out of the coat collar, pushing it back over her shoulders. Picking up her leather bag, she made a quick exit, modest heels peaking out from under grey, straight-legged slacks.

The low-level Preventer agent, a young girl with short, punky-pink hair, followed Relena out of the conference room, but stopped short when catching sight of Heero pushing out from against the wall. The girl opened her mouth, but he cut her off.

"You're dismissed."

The corner of Relena's mouth quirked.

A slightly awe-struck, "Uh- yes sir…" followed the pair as Heero led the way back towards the foyer.

There was a moment of silence between them. Heero could see Relena's head bobbing beside his shoulder out of the corner of his eye. As always when with her, his right hand strayed to the holstered handgun at his hip. Force of habit.

"We were late," Relena murmured as they approached the security exit, glancing at her watch, "I wonder if I have time to see my secretary."

"Do you want to stop?"

Her lips scrunched to the side, "No, I better not. I'm meeting mother for lunch." She looked up at him a little guiltily. Heero blinked back at her, giving nothing away. But she knew… he and Mareen didn't necessarily get along. In his opinion, the woman would have been more vocal about he and Relena's almost inseparable, probably improper, attachment to one another, but was silenced by the fact that Heero had vowed to dedicate his life- and death- to protecting her daughter.

"Hn."

He preferred her lunch hours free, just the two of them. Not that they did anything exciting together anyway; he just liked her company, all to himself. Standing behind some table for an hour while the two women ate and gabbed, sometimes about him much to Relena's complete embarrassment, was about as tedious as driving.

"Stay here," he said, pausing her with a sweep of his hand. Relena stopped short of the sliding doors as Heero walked down onto the sidewalk, scanning the street. Popping open the back passenger-side door, he nodded her over. Relena walked down the steps and out into the sun.

She looked dubiously at the open door. She preferred to ride shotgun, but the back offered more protection with its bulletproof tinted windows, so she rarely protested.

Heero shut the door behind her, walking around the back of the car with his hand still clasping his firearm. They'd had an incident a few years ago, when a would-be kidnapper rushed the car after Relena had gotten inside and before Heero had stepped off the curb. Nothing came of it. Heero had shot the man right between the eyes before the driver's door had been breached. Une had been displeased at his 'shoot first, don't bother with questions later' course of action, but Heero did not take chances.

"I'll never kill anyone ever again" did not apply to those who threatened Relena's life.

As he slid into the cruiser, door locking behind him, Heero took a moment to steal another glance at the Foreign Minister using the rearview mirror. She was looking out the window, hands clasped in her lap as he started the car.

"We're meeting at the Royal Prix hotel," she murmured, pulling her phone from her bag and flicking at the touch screen. "Could you put on a bit of music? Not too loud," she grinned, clicking her seatbelt but letting out the entire tether so to slide as far forward as possible up the center consol. She propped her elbows down on the leather as he reached forward to fiddle with the radio.

"_- I think it's a smart move on her part. Minister Darlian's calculations-"_

Relena groaned. Heero twisted the dial, changing quickly to some 'popular' music.

"Sorry."

"It's alright," she sighed as they got underway. "So, how was your morning?"

"Fine."

"Uneventful?"

He shrugged.

"I heard from Hilde that Duo has gone missing again. Is he on another mission?"

"Hn."

He couldn't really tell her. The less she knew the less she became a target for those seeking to infiltrate the organization. These were the days Relena hated most. Days where his work was unspeakable, when he offered her about as much in terms of conversation as he had during his days at Saint Gabriel's.

She leaned back against her seat, "Well, there's no pointing telling you how my day has been, Heero. You've heard everything on the news by now."

They turned onto First Street.

"Not everything." He paused, trying to think of something to ask her. There wasn't much he didn't know, that was true, but not because of the news. Relena's personal itinerary was forwarded to everyone on her security detail. "How are you… holding up?"

"Well, the conference tomorrow isn't a huge problem as long as everything goes as planned. And my mother's charity work is going well. I have no real complaints." She smiled at that, but it didn't reach her eyes. She did have complaints, _real_ complaints, but they probably had nothing to do with her political life.

He knew she was lonely; but he was doing all he could. He was protecting her life, by her side almost every day. It was all he knew _how_ to do.

They pulled into the hotel's roundabout, waved through into the underground garage by the valet thanks to their government license plate.

Mareen met them in the restaurant lobby. She gave Relena a tight hug and a kiss, pulling away only to give Heero an icy look as the maître d' began leading the way towards some sun-lit patio seating.

"Not outside," Heero said, calmly but firmly. There wasn't enough cover without another guard on hand.

The hostess faltered. Mareen scoffed.

"She can't even sit _outside?!_ You cannot be serious."

He blinked vacantly at her.

"It's fine, mother," Relena took the woman's arm, leading her towards the back of the restaurant. She cast an apologetic look at him over her shoulder.

"You're a young woman Relena, not some pariah," Mareen continued to hiss.

Heero followed after, removing his sunglasses and taking stock of the room, eyes falling on Relena's arm around her mother's back, the way the cut of her jacket pulled in neatly at her waist, accentuating the curve of her hip. She seemed to float.

Hn.

He was hungry.

The women took their seats and he took his place behind Relena's chair against the wall, arms crossed. The maître d' gave him a nervous look as she presented the menus, clattering the silverware by accident. He didn't mean to fluster her; he just had that effect on people.

"So mother," Relena's pleasant voice drowned out the nasty mood Mareen always inflicted upon him, "tell me everything about what's been going on at the charity." It was a project they had started together; an exchange program between the schoolchildren of Earth and the Colonies.

As they chatted, Heero settled back into his routine of vigilant visual perimeter sweep while simultaneously tuning out everything else around him. While still keeping a sharp eye on the restaurant, his attention wandered back to the memories surfaced earlier by the public radio broadcast.

"_Reset the test," Doctor J told the technician, and then turned to his young protégé, "Well? Go on. You're next."_

* * *

A/N: Hey guys. I had a very busy month getting one of my clients' manuscripts ready to pitch, so I thought this was going be delayed another week. But instead you get it a few days early! I had some spare time and the muse was being exceptionally kind (what's the catch, right?). I promise the story's plot will pick up. The next chapter is going to be fairly short. I was going to tack it onto this one but it would have been way too long.

**If you've read and enjoyed, please review!**

According to the NASA website, most fighter pilots can withstand suit-less vertical g-force testing up to 8 or 9 Gs. As we all know, Heero Yuy is an "enhanced human", so I'd expect him to go at it a little harder… maybe this is too much of a spoiler for Chapter 3.

Progression of excessive vertical g-force is as follows (Wikipedia):

1. Grey-out, where the vision loses hue, easily reversible on leveling out.

2. Tunnel vision, where peripheral vision is progressively lost.

3. Blackout, a loss of vision while consciousness is maintained, caused by a lack of blood to the head.

4. G-LOC ("LOC" stands for "Loss Of Consciousness").

5. Death, if g-forces are not quickly reduced, death can occur.


	3. Chapter 3

Quixotic

* * *

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_The hatch door sealed behind him with an airtight 'whump'. _

"_Ready?" Came Doctor J's voice over the intercom_

_Heero tightened the buckle around his chest. "Roger."_

_The machine whirled to life, the cockpit slowly beginning to spin._

"_On-board sensors normal," he rattled off absently, feeling a slow but tight construction in his chest._

_The pressure steadily built moment by moment; his body tensed under the increased gravity._

_The blood rushed in his ears, mixing with the mechanical whirling of the machine underneath him. It felt like he was flying, no, falling- down, down through the atmosphere. The ground was coming up to meet him, coming closer, with each passing second._

"_How many is that?"_

_For a moment it didn't register that Doctor J was taking to him._

_He assessed the onboard controls, eyes going wide. "Ten Gs."_

_But- how was that possible?_

"_How do you feel?"_

_He felt-_

_Theta had flat-lined at eight, and while this was certainly… uncomfortable… _

_Heero couldn't raise his arm off the armrests, but he could move his fingers. That in and of itself was…_

"_Are you watching this?"_

"_Huh?"_

_But the Doctor was speaking to someone else. Not the technician. There was the crackle of a radio. Someone unintelligible, over a channel Heero could not hear. "Yes. It's as I told you. He's the perfect candidate; a powerful weapon. We'll put it up to twelve. Right."_

_Weapon?_

_The controls must have been adjusted. Pressure slammed into his chest; the room beyond the safety glass one continuous blur._

_Damn, he thought, despite his best efforts it was going dark-_

"_That's enough. That's far more than he should ever encounter. Shut it down."_

_Heero gasped air back into his lungs as the weight lifted, pulse wild in his ears. That was no good. Focus. His eyes fluttered closed, concentrating_

_His breathing stilted, leveled, the pounding in his temples muted to some degree._

"_System shutting down." And just like that he was back in control, the way he preferred. How he was taught. _

"_Congratulations," Doctor J's face appeared on the consol's screen. He was grinning, the skin around his mechanical eyes crinkling, metal claw snapping together. "You've passed the test for your new assignment."_

_He could feel beaded sweat prickling his brow. "New… assignment?"_

_As far as he knew there were no other operations beyond destroying the enemy soldiers occupying the colony… along with the occasional assignation. What else did the man have up his sleeve? But he had joined Doctor J for the chance to free the colonies. Whatever needed to be done, he'd do it._

"_Theta was our only other candidate, but you've always outperformed him..."_

"_I understand." He began to unclip the restraints with mostly-steady fingers. _

"_You'll be assigned a new codename."_

_Heero paused. "Hn?"_

"_And you'll clean out your barracks, too. You no longer have the luxury of making friends. What's in store… it's far too important for any kind of distractions." Doctor J's grin widened. "Report to the briefing room when you're finished." _

"_Roger…" his voice came out less restrained than he was use to, or that he should have allowed, but the screen had already switched off, the Doctor's face disappearing. For a long moment Heero sat there, one hand on the door-release latch, listening to the humming silence_

_A new mission. _

_The adrenalin coursing through his veins was making his mind race._

_How far back did he have to go before he remembered anything but new missions…?_

_It was all… faded. _

_A gun in his hand, someone teaching him how to shoot. A toy Leo. _

_But before that?_

_No._

_Nothing, save for half-formed dreams, pushed aside by training and protocol._

* * *

Heero snapped to attention as Relena pushed back from the table, dabbing her lips with a napkin.

"I'll be right back, mother. Lady's room." She glanced towards him, as did Mareen, the latter with a sour look on her face. How the woman hadn't realized, by now, the level of protection her daughter' position warranted made him more annoyed than he cared to admit.

"Don't think of her too harshly, Heero," Relena said once they were out of earshot, trailing behind him into the little bathroom lobby.

He didn't answer, but un-holstered his gun, pushing open the woman's restroom door with his elbow. Relena paused, waiting, entirely too use to this routine.

A woman washing her hands in the sink gave him a terribly startled look.

"This bathroom is closed."

She might have told him off but the intensity of his gaze, and most definitely the movement of the gun returning to his side, hastened her hand drying. She shuffled out of the room, giving him a wide birth.

"My apologies," he heard the sincerity in Relena's voice. Maybe the thing she resented most about her position, he thought, wasn't the danger to her life, or the time invested, but the inconvenience to other people.

He held open the door. "It's clear."

She smiled, touching his forearm gently as she passed. Before the door closed behind her, he heard her tired sigh eco about the tiled rom.

"Uh-"

"It's closed," he deadpanned to an old, but wealthy looking woman, as she stopped short of his guarding the door. Another few moments and he felt it open again behind him. Relena stood there, framed, but hung back even as he made to escort her back to the table.

Stopping, turning, he caught her gaze. "Something wrong?"

The crushing weight of that question- what it could mean, how deep it could go- settled unsteadily in his chest.

He would never ask her to step down as Foreign Minister. Hell, he might even force her to stay if she ever tried. She was essential to the reunification process and to the future of their survival. To peace. But Heero had a hard time reconciling the fact that it had become her life, wholly. For him it was no great sacrifice, but for her… he didn't want her life to be so singularly dedicated as his had been.

He stood beside her.

A part of him wanted to reach out and touch her, comfort her, but that would be… compromising. His guard would be down. He- _they_ couldn't afford that.

"I'm going to take the rest of the day off," she muttered finally, pulling out her phone. He said nothing. She continued. "For all my mother's incessant nagging, she's right- I've been working hard on the conference. Everything else I have today can be tackled after the event. That's one thing you and she both agree on."

Relena gave him one of those small smiles that, despite his training, always made him feel like she could see right through him.

"Hn."

He couldn't argue.

The rest of their late lunch passed without incident. On the one hand, Mareen seemed delighted that her daughter was taking a personal time, but she was less enthused when Relena informed her that it would be _solitary_. To her credit, Relena resisted the urge to glance at him.

"You'll phone me, dear, when the conference is over?"

"Of course, mother."

The women hugged, exchanging kisses on each other's cheeks. Heero fished the cruiser's keys from his jacket pocket.

"What do you want to do?"

His voice echoed about the elevator. As he pressed the Garage button Relena gave her mother, standing at the concierge desk, a little wave. But as the doors slid closed she took a step back to lean against the brass railing, giving a sigh.

"Honestly? Watch trashy television for a few hours." He raised a single eyebrow. Relena smiled at her shoes. "Is that a problem? I don't want to interfere with… whatever it is you get up to when I'm not around."

"Hn."

"Is that a _no?_"

"No. It's not a problem."

The car was pulled around, and they had been driving for nearly fifteen minutes before she spoke again, and by that time they were well on their way out of the city center, driving towards the outskirts. It wasn't a safe house, not really. The government knew where he lived, after all. But it was quiet and easily protected. Most of the other buildings were still vacant, some still being built.

Still, it was as close to a permanent residence as he'd ever come before.

They had this unspoken arrangement about the whole thing. If anyone knew… well, Une would be displeased, but not surprised. The others would make a bigger fuss. If the press, or her opponents, came to their own conclusions…

Heero caught her in the rearview mirror, bent head spilling golden hair onto her lap as she looked down at her mobile. Not doubt texting her secretary.

That's what he had to deal with now. Schedules and partisan bullshit. It tried his patience much more than the grind of the battlefield, and unlike his namesake, he had little desire to engage in politics.

Maybe that was why he allowed this, let her in- because she had been caught in the same web he had, but with considerably less experience. Her natural talent for it still amazed him.

"You'll be on my detail tomorrow?"

The cruiser turned down another street, a more vacant one.

"Hn. Yes," he amended quickly. He could nearly hear her slow smile.

They parked under the covered carport beside the partially empty condo complex. It was still an underdeveloped area; some of the buildings were mere wooden bones, other more finished structures bellowed sheets of plastic from their pane-less windows. It was quiet, which he liked, and the Preventers paid his rent.

How had the two of them comes to this? Heero wondered, fishing the electronic key from his pocket, Relena exiting the car and trailing her hand along the side of his parked motorbike as she passed.

She waited at the bottom of the iron staircase as he deactivated the booby traps remotely. One could never be too careful.

"It's open," he said finally as the remote's indicator light flashed green. He followed her up the staircase, watching the way her fingers barely traced up the handrail as she ascended.

At the top of the landing, Relena already inside, he bent to the small sensor control pad against the corner of the front door. The electronic trip wires had to be recalibrated before everything was back in place.

He sighed, going about the work near autopilot. Inside he could hear Relena tossing her bag onto the small bed, flipping on the TV, rummaging around through the miniature refrigerator.

He came inside and closed the door behind him, walking to the desk and turning on his laptop.

From the kitchenette, Relena called softly, "Water?"

With a nod Heero went to the sink, reaching for the glass Relena pressed into his hand.

But she did not let go.

A sensation, one he could never really identify, uncoiled in his chest.

There were no excuses here. No cameras, no would-be assassins; no kidnappers. This was the safest place in the city- above ground, anyway. When she couldn't take the time to steal away to the countryside but still needed a breather, this was where she spent her down-time. Her alone-time. Here. And she had always jumped on the opportunity to play the game of house with him. It was a danger to them both, this duality in their relationship. But he did not object. He was not sure he wanted to object. It was… a confusing predicament, which floated them along, running the line between professional and… something else.

Relena's gaze flitted from the counter to his face, and back again. Despite her compulsion to be near him, it was clear it still embarrassed her. Maybe because he knew exactly what the thinly veiled glanced and brushing-elbows meant.

And she knew he knew it, too.

Ugh.

He was beginning to get a headache.

Heero plucked the glass from her fingers, setting it down upon the counter.

She watched his movements, lips pressed together in the most self-deprecating way. "Can we really keep doing this?"

"Huh?" Heero blinked. It never occurred to him that they could do anything else _but_ continue on… until, well… until the world ceased in needing them. Maybe never. He knew that. Didn't she?

Relena laughed, a short, humorless burst of air as she reached for him, fingers curling around the cuff of his jacket like a child would, immediately anchoring him.

"For a very long time now I've felt like my life is being split in two."

He frowned, watching her from under his bangs. Yes, he understood, but there was nothing else he could do for her except _this_. And it was far more than _he_ had ever been given, or was taught to give. His fingers caught her hand, curling them inside his own, but said nothing.

She watched him expectantly, like he would suddenly be able to understand just what she wanted him to do- just what she needed from him- but eventually gave up, eyes tilting towards the ceiling. "Life can't be perfect I suppose."

His frown deepened. As much of a fool Maxwell often was, he was occasionally right too. Women lead him in circles. At least, this woman did.

How someone could be more complicated than the underside of a mobile suit circuit board, he would never know.

In the airy silence of the small apartment, Relena pitched forward to lay her head against his chest. He stiffened momentarily. Her weight was not unfamiliar, but her touch had always made him feel… different. His shoulders hunched after a moment of holding her, fingers barely tracing through the length of her hair.

"Why are you here?" Her voice was muffled against his jacket and against his shirt.

He took a shallow breath; ready to reiterate the same words he always used when she asked such ridiculous questions-

"I know, I know, _to protect me." _Relena's free hand, hovering by his side, picked at the fabric of his shirt. There was humor to her voice. "But is that all?" Wasn't it? Heero took another measured breath. She huffed, pulling away before he could answer. "I wish you wouldn't do that; regulate your pulse..."

At that he smiled, the corners of his mouth curling barely upward. "Military side effect-"

She tipped up to brush her lips against his. Warm and chaste, it was not unlike suddenly becoming off balance. So much so that he clasped her tighter, almost unconsciously, watching those blonde eyelashes flutter closed.

He could not- did not want to- push her away. Instead his hand found the underside of her chin, tipping her head to the side and deepening the contact. The alarm bells going off in his head were pushed aside, his composure predictably undermined by this infuriating, nonsensical, beautiful woman. She loved him, even when he hated himself, and it was as addicting as adrenaline.

Relena sighed against his parted lips as they broke away for air. "You were gone for almost a week; I missed you. You're by my side so often now- I've become spoiled."

His chest rumbled, "You were always spoiled."

She grinned, her other hand coming around the inside of his jacket to press against the small of his back. He thumbed her jaw.

Maybe-

If they were different people maybe then they could have had this, whatever it was.

But she was right; life wasn't perfect.

He cupped her face with both his hands, her bright blue eyes trailing up to meet his, and kissed her with renewed intensity-

-before they were interrupted.

Her breath was in his ear, the soft skin of her throat caught beneath his lips, "Is that your computer beeping?"

Heero dropped his hold of her immediately, clearing his throat. Under her fingertips, his heartbeat pounded. "Work," he said flatly, moving away towards the table without giving her a second glance. A little video icon bounced in the corner of an otherwise blank blue screen.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"It's fine." He pulled the computer around so the screen faced away from the kitchenette and slid into a chair, clicking on the icon. A feed box popped up.

_call from: Unknown_

It was Duo, then. He was early. Damn. He never liked taking operations calls when he was guarding Relena.

_kissing_ Relena, a little voice amended.

"The channel is secure," he said, fingers racing over the keyboard, "go ahead."

With a _pwip_, Duo's dark, grainy picture came into view

"_Hey there, buddy!" _He whispered in an, although quiet, still obnoxious enough voice._ "Whatcha up to?"_

Heero's eyes flicked over the top of the computer, to where Relena had picked up the glass of water and moved to sit upon the edge of his bed.

"What's your report?"

The man pouted. "_You didn't __**tell me**__ Trowa was going to be here! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of things myself, you know. I'm not __**that**__ rusty."_

"Higher rate of success."

The braided man scoffed. _"Higher rate of-!"_

Heero tapped his finger idly on the return key. "What's your report?"

_"Hey man, don't rush me. Do you know how __**hard**__ it was to find an __**empty**__room to-"_

"I'm cutting the video…"

_ "Ok, ok! Geez."_

Relena smiled down at her cup.

_"Everything's going pretty smoothly, thank you very much. The group is going to be protesting on the Assembly building steps, but we think Ferox has infiltrated some of the on-sight staff, so there might be a few operatives inside the venue."_

His eyes narrowed. "Have you identified the operatives?"

_"No, we haven't. And before you get all over my case about it, Ferox has that part all hush hush. If we had more time maybe we could have…" _Over the feed, Heero could see the former pilot reach up to scratch the back of his head nervously._ "But that's not the weird part."_

"Hn?"

Duo leaned in closer. _"They've got… charts. Star charts. Trowa says they're tracking something."_

That wasn't in the briefing. "What is it?"

He shook his head, _"We're not sure, but it appears to be moving. It's smaller than a mobile suit, but… Ferox says it's a meteor; you know, like the group's name, but the trajectory isn't erratic enough."_

"A meteor?" At that Heero scoffed, "The man is deranged. He's feeding people the lies he needs to blind his followers. How could any object go undetected by the ESUN defense radar? Or the Preventers'?"

"_Don't know. "_

Heero frowned. One too many 'don't know's for his liking.

"_We can't arrest Ferox just for protesting."_

"You and Trowa position as close to the main doors as possible. If one of his operatives tries to make a move, we might need backup."

_"Right."_

"Try and get your hands on any other useful information."

_"Yeah, good luck with that..."_

"Try," he said again, in an unpleasantly forced kind of way.

Brown eyes rolled towards the ceiling, hand making flippant, circular motions in the air. _"Ok, roger that. Well, we'll see you at the rendezvous then. Tell the Foreign Minister 'hi' for me, you know, if you see her, which you will, because let's be honest, you just can't stay awa-"_

Heero shut the lid of the laptop with a sharp _click,_ cutting the feed. The particular tone of Duo's voice made the silence that came after even sharper.

Finally, he murmured, "Sorry."

Relena leant back on her elbows upon the bedspread, a smile playing about her lips that made his whole body feel flushed. "Not a problem." Her eyebrows creased after a moment's thought. "I wasn't aware of any protest tomorrow."

"Need-to-know basis."

"Oh…"

That might have been unnecessarily harsh. He tried again; voice pitched lower, softer, as he got to his feet and reached for the TV remote. "I didn't want to worry you."

It was her turn to blush.

* * *

"What did he say?"

"Oh, you know, the usual."

"Did you tell him about the meteor?"

"Yeah, I did." Duo shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "He doesn't seem to think anything of it."

Trowa stepped away, crossing the floor of the small, cramped storage room towards the cracked door. "There's something about it… I'm not sure."

From a room or so away they could hear Ferox's rumbling voice.

Duo leaned forward. "What's he saying?"

Trowa pressed a finger to his lips.

"_Bothers and Sisters, I tell you- fear not the end of this world! Fear not the end of this wrenched civilization! For you will survive the great cleansing; the great change! This revolution! Our shooting star will bring us salvation, brothers and sisters, will bring us knowledge, and power… the power of the whole of outer space. It will be yours. The proof is right here in the charts, and in this-"_

They couldn't see it right then, but they'd watched Ferox wave around a small black-leather book enough times to imagine it.

There were murmurings of assent; the parishioners would be prostrating themselves before him, parying to the supposed meteor Ferox promised.

Duo shuttered. "Heero said it was a cult, but he didn't mention there was some sacred ritual coming up."

"Must be a new development. Or Ferox was keeping quiet about it until now."

"What should we do?"

"Those papers he always carries," Trowa whispered back, "his 'teachings'. They might tell us something."

"We can't just _jump_ the guy! Our cover…."

"Then we'll wait. Bide our time. Let's see how things go tomorrow.

* * *

A/n- If you enjoyed, please review!

I've a link to my twitter account in my profile. I'll be sending out fanfic updates and stuff if you want to be on top of my progress. Check it out.

Camp NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow. I'll be using the month to finish up the YA co-author novel I've taken on. I'm sure I'll still have time to get 3,000 words or so out for this story- never fear!

Thanks to all my anon reviewers, too. You guys are amazing and I wish I could thank you all personally!

Edit: Since a bit more of the story's plot has come to light, I've updated the summary a little. Hope that's ok.


	4. Chapter 4

Quixotic

* * *

**Chapter Four**

* * *

Her phone rang, but neither of them moved.

He held her up against the wall next to the window, the smooth skin of her back pressing into the plaster, arms wrapped around his neck. It was late afternoon; the light from the setting sun filled the room with fire. The TV had been muted for a while now.

She enjoyed, as they breathed together, running her fingers over the skin of his stomach, and then back around to his sides.

His head was bowed to rest on her shoulder. Heero felt her sigh with such easy contentment, it made him smile.

Their relationship had always been a close entanglement, he knew that; take away the intimacy and she was still at the core of him. They were bare before each other from when he'd pointed that gun in her face at St. Gabriel's, to when as she watched him from the tarmac of the Sanq kingdom. The physical part of it came naturally- so much so, that it surprised him how easy it had been, a year or so after vowing to stay by her side, that they had… well. If he were under oath he would have staked it as a result of the alcohol. Her birthday. But they both knew that it would be a lie.

She never said very much about it. He never asked. They were together, it escalated, it happened, and then it was over. These kinds of moments were rare. Very rare. He could count on one hand…

The phone rang again.

Her breath fluttered. "Bothersome thing..."

He grunted in response, silently relishing in the way she moved beneath his fingers.

This dance they did- it was usually after he returned from extended missions. Or when her political life threatened to overwhelm her. It was an outlet, or anchor maybe. She needed to assure herself that he was here. That this was real.

Heero had been hesitant, more so than Relena. Then again, this was the woman who launched herself into space; who flew airplanes into the middle of mobile suit battles. He didn't think she was hesitant about much of anything anymore.

"_The thing with people trying to kill you," _he remembered her saying once, _"is that you learn to appreciate what you have and when_ _you have it. Don't take anything, especially your time, for granted."_

Despite his prowess in weaponry and combat, these kinds of things were never part of the mission parameters. He let her lead. Partly out of courtesy, out of respect, and partially because he didn't know what the hell he was doing. That helplessness wasn't a feeling he was use, or accustomed to. It made him nervous. She eased that.

Relena trusted him, explicitly, and in more ways than one. She trusted that he would always return to her side, and maybe that's why she let him in.

Moments before- he could recall it perfectly- she had been clutching him, desperate. She pressed against his body, her nails digging into the flesh of his shoulder, cheek flush with his, but with her face slightly turned away. She never lost complete control, and maybe that was something they both shared.

As the world came back to them, as the bubble around them burst with her trembling and his clutching her hip, a barely audible "_Tich-"_ of pressure and release passing his clenched teeth- she would always say, in a breathy voice, "I love you, Heero."

It was the only time she would ever say it like that; out loud and low-toned. There were other times, where she used the phrase flippantly, as if '_of course, because I'm in love with_ _you'_. But not like this; this was different.

"I love you, Heero."

"Hn…" the sound was like a purr as he kissed her jaw, breath hot against her neck.

"Do you?"

He pulled away, searching her face, brows drawn together. After a moment he said, quietly, "What do you mean?"

Her bright eyes searched his face. "Are you really, truly in love with me, is what I'm asking."

Something clenched within his chest.

Fear.

He was afraid.

Heero hesitated for just a moment longer than necessary.

"Never mind," she looked away, "I don't want you to hear your answer. "

"…Relena…" he growled, gripping her arms.

"It's painful for you…" The calmness in her voice threw him, but her fingers curling around his bicep rooted him to the spot. "I understand. It doesn't matter anyway, you may protect my life but I'll always be here for you too. Heero." At that a wiry smile curled her lip, crinkling her eyebrows. "As if you couldn't tell already."

His grip on her hips clenched. She kissed the side of his mouth, cheek pressed against his.

After a moment they broke apart. It was some kind of silent acknowledgement where he would unpin her, and she would walk primly across the floor, dragging her clothing and bag off the end of his bed, before retreating to the modest bathroom on the other side of the flat. The door closed with a sharp _click_ as he bent to gather up his jeans. He glanced after her.

Heero wondered what she thought of herself, as she caught her own eyes reflecting back at her in the bathroom mirror, as she re-strapped her bra and combed out her hair. Did she have to reassure herself that this was what she really wanted?

Tossing the black Preventer's shirt aside, he rummaged through the chest of drawers for a familiar green tank, pulling it over his head.

Relena appeared a few minutes later, looking as put-together as she had when coming out of the Embassy building.

"It's getting late," he said. She glanced at her phone, tucking hair behind her ear.

"I want to go back on the bike."

"Relena-"

"-Heero," she said in a similar tone, which was meant to mock him.

He frowned. "It's the night before the Conference."

"No one would suspect it, then." She said easily, stooping to pick up a spare helmet from behind the small table.

"No one would suspect the Foreign Minister to be so foolish," he murmured.

"You're beginning to sound like my mother, Heero."

He refused to speak to her again until she'd gathered her things and made her way down the stairs. He re-set the alarm sensors at the bottom of the stairs. Getting to his feet, he handed her his jacket. "Here."

Relena looked a bit abashed, but she took it anyway, zipping it up over her coat, securing her book bag.

"What is it?" She asked, a bit muffled because of the helmet. She'd caught him staring.

"Nothing," he retorted quickly, swing on and started the bike. Relena slipped around behind him, snaking her arms across his chest. He could feel her fingers twisting in the fabric.

With that visor on she had reminded him of another time, back on Libra -

They pulled onto the street, and as he twisted the throttle, they sped towards the city, the wind whipping around them.

He couldn't help in showing off, maybe just a little bit. He loved the way she tensed around him as they revved forward, threading the bike through a small space between two cars on the highway. No, no one would suspect they could be so foolish.

His arms were numb from the wind by the time they parked outside the entrance to her hotel. Guards already manned the front door. When they saw the Foreign Minister wrapped in his Preventer's jacket, they didn't even ask for ID. He escorted her inside, a hand on her back, walked her into the elevator, and up several floors.

"Evening, Foreign Minister," the Preventer's night guard nodded at her, and then caught his eye. "Sir."

Relena pulled out her key. "Give us a moment, if you would, Taylor."

"Of course ma'am."

She watched him go. "So," she said eventually in a small, but hopeful, voice.

"I'm meeting you at the Assembly building tomorrow," Heero murmured in his usual low-tone as she unlocked the door and pushed it open.

Her shoulders seemed to tense. "I know my own itinerary."

He raised an eyebrow at her back as she tossed her bag onto the chair by the door and ran a hand through her hair. He heard her sigh. Eventually she turned around, shrugging off his jacket and handing it over.

"Thank you, Heero," she gave him a small smile. Making sure the other agent didn't see, she tipped onto her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, and then pulled away. "Goodnight." Retreating into the low light of her apartment, she gently closed the door.

He just stood there, the glittering gold room numbers staring dumbly back at him, before he turned silently on his heel and backtracked down the hall and towards the elevator. He passed the guard at the end of the hall.

What was that? He thought, punching the Lobby button a little more forcefully than necessary.

His own glowering image rebounded off the lift's mirrored walls as he stepped inside.

Why hadn't he said anything?

The _one_ time speaking his mind might have done some good.

Damn.

Damn it!

The woman waiting in the lobby jumped back with a squeak of fright as the doors dinged open the same time his fist connected against the wall of the elevator with a tremendous noise.

His soldier's composure snapped on just a moment later. Ignoring their looks as he pulled on his jacket, he took the steps back outside with an even stride. Relena's helmet was clipped on the back bar of the bike; he stared at it as he pulled his own down over his head, mind buzzing.

He needed to ride for a while. No, he needed to sleep.

If anything, he should catch up on paperwork.

But the Conference… he had to be awake tomorrow. Alert.

His growl of annoyance was drowned out by the revving engine.

Heero took the long way home, zipping around the darkened corners of the highway at alarming speeds, tipping so far over the banking curves that his knee nearly scraped the ground. Being that close to the fast-moving pavement- it made him feel alive.

Zechs had been right: there _were_ places beyond the battlefield for people like him; where his talents would prove useful. But it felt like the Preventers work was making him soft. Being around Relena was… changing him. She would think that was a good thing, of course. Then why…?

That was the problem with counting on dying before your eighteenth birthday. He hadn't been able to imagine what his life would be like now, protecting Relena day in and day out.

All the death he'd seen during the war, all the people he'd killed, and it was _this_ that felt like it was happening to somebody else.

It was almost eleven thirty when he walked through the door to his apartment, scowling. He kept the lights off. The place still smelled of Relena's expensive perfume.

Removing the gun out of the waistband of his jeans, Heero checked the safety before placing it down on the bedside table, pulling off his tank top. Falling onto the comforter he let out a tired huff of breath from his nose; as close to whining as he'd ever go.

He lay there for a few minutes, awake, listening to the hum of the fridge before reaching up to grab the gun, fingers curling around the grip as he slid it under the pillow. It felt familiar enough to coax him fitfully to sleep.

* * *

"They were swarming the car!"

"Well maybe if you weren't so _incompetent _they wouldn't have scratched the paint." As his hand reached for the door handle of the staging-room area, Heero could hear Dorothy Catalonia- the President of the entire Earth Sphere's- snappish voice cut through.

He could imagine the look on Wufei's face. "Is it possible they take issue with you driving a _gold plated_ _limousine?"_

Relena's soft voice lowered the tension. "There will always be protestors."

And a few religious zealots, he thought.

"They just want the media expose so they can spread fear." The three occupants of the room, the President, Wufei, and Relena, who was sitting at a table facing the door reading her notes, all looked up at him as he steped inside. He glanced at Dorothy. "Five minutes."

"Right." She stood bit straighter, pulling down on the hem of her button-up dress shirt. It always reminded him of their school uniforms, from when they were kids.

He blinked.

_When they were kids?_

Where the hell had that come from?

Relena rose from her chair, tapping her papers together. "Well, Dorothy, you're only introducing me. I better get ready, too."

"You'll do splendid as ever, Miss Relena," the woman crooned, clasping her hands, looking a bit wistful. "I shall prepare the crowd. Come on," she flicked her wrist at Wufei, who was glowering, "escort me."

They left, the former with an air of regality that had only intensified with her election, the latter begrudgingly.

Heero and Relena looked at each other.

"Well, I should-"

"Relena-"

"Yes?" She cut him off, her voice a kind of gasping breath. Her cheeks colored. "I'm sorry," she said quickly, looking away. Those words made him feel worse, if it were possible, than he felt before. "For yesterday. For assuming a bit too much, I think. I have a feeling I keep pushing you to do something you didn't want to."

She looks surprised when he lets out a "Huh" of laughter, one corner of his mouth quirking upward, showing a bit of teeth. He can't help it.

She bits her lip, looking more than a bit mortified. "You were always so careful. But your right, it's dangerous. For both of us. I could be forced out of office, and you, your anonymity might be compromised."

"I'm a Gundam pilot who now spends his life shadowing the former Queen of the World. If I was worried about my anonymity…"

Her shoulders relax, but he hasn't changed her mind so easily.

What's wrong with him? He'd been feeling uneasy all this time, and now he was practically making excuses for their behavior.

"Relena," he started in a low voice, "I-"

The radio in his ear chirped, _"Where is the Foreign Minister?"_

The room's so quiet, she hears it too.

"Duty calls," she whispers, holding up her speech.

He noded curtly, frowning, and depressed the radio button. "Roger. Proceeding to the stage." They stare at each other for a good heartbeat or two. Eventually, he opens the door. "Minister."

Relena slips on her 'politician-face' as easily as he would switch into 'on-duty' mode. She takes a deep breath, her face serious as she walkes past him into the hallway. As he moved to close the door behind them their shoulders brushed, but neither of them acknowledged the touch.

A few minutes later she emerges onstage amidst tumultuous applause; it was nearly as loud as the President's reception. Heero watched from just off-stage, obscured by the curtain. The people rose from their seats as Relena approached the podium, where Dorothy's outstretched arm beckoned. The blonde stepped back, now clapping as well. Relena is adored.

They look at her as a child of war- a young girl who was able to rise peacefully above the carnage and blood to give them hope.

All of humanity is weak, he use to think, including himself. Except Relena.

But she's only human. That kind of admiration took its toll.

"Thank you, everyone," her voice echoes about the room through the sound system. "All of you are here today because your passions have allowed humanity to continue its peaceful exploration of our wondrous universe. As you know, the Mars Terraformation Project began a few short years ago…"

He scanned the crowed, watching for any anomalous behavior.

"_You didn't tell them,"_ Wufei's voice comes over his earpiece in a whisper. Heero looked across the stage, to where the other Preventer agent stood at similar attention amidst the shadows. "_About the on-site staff possibly being compromised."_

"You've read Duo's report already. I'm impressed; I only submitted that this morning."

"_I had some time to kill."_

Dorothy did take a horrendous time getting ready for just about anything.

"Missing field work already?"

Chang grunted a reply. It was rhetorical.

"I didn't think it mattered," Heero continued, answering the original question while watching Relena. The way her chin thrust up a bit when she reached the parts in her speech about the true courage of man; of their duty to society. He knew what those people felt when they heard that commanding, ringing voice; how her words brought tears to their eyes. "They don't need to know every time their lives are threatened."

He left it at that. Besides, he couldn't say that Relena was aware. That would raise suspicion on how she'd heard; she wasn't given clearance to read documents of in-progress assignments.

"Untapped deposits of enriched bio-thurillium have been found in a number of excavation sites. Here and here," Relena turns to the side, arm pointed up to the giant screen behind the podium. "Of course, we are working on a number of studies to estimate the long-term environmental impacts of mining and enrichment…"

"_Left side clear."_

"Roger that. Ride side cl- wait a minute."

Wufei's voice takes on an edge when he says,_ "What is it?" _

"In the front row. You can't see him from your position."

"_Do you want me to-"_

"Hold your post."

Heero had already un-holstered his weapon. His grip tightened, feet planted firm, shoulders relaxing down. Focus. There was a man, not a staff member but one of the dignitaries, philanthropists, or entrepreneurs that had been invited by the government. If he was invited, then why did he look so jumpy? It wasn't Ferox, he'd recognize the man from the surveillance photographs.

The man shifted in his seat, peering from side to side; slow but obvious. He looked scruffy; unkempt. One of the many unbalanced soldiers from the war that Ferox had recruited.

Heero narrowed his eyes, lifting his weapon just a few more degrees in precaution.

"Our on-site staff…" Relena's voice died.

His eyes flicked towards hers, and caught them staring right back, dropping to the gun and then up to his face. Her lips were parted mid-word. A rustle swept through the crowd.

Damn, he thought.

"Minister?" Dorothy's voice clipped curtly, gaze darting toward him, lips pursed, as if it were _his_ fault.

"I…" Relena cleared her throat, looking towards the ground, and then out at the crowd, turning to them once more and gripping the edges of the podium with both her hands.

She was silent for a few moments. Heero's gaze trailed from her to the man in the crowd.

"I suppose I am a little tense today, my apologies," Relena says. "There are protestors outside and I know that this has made people anxious about our cause. There are those who say our colonization of the red planet will lead us to another power struggle. They are frightened; memories of wars not long past are still seared fresh onto their memories. I know a great many people who have yet to leave those wars behind."

Heero's fingers around the gun's grip flexed.

"I, too, am haunted; in my dreams. The terror, the people; men dying on the battlefield and children dying in their homes. They call to me. I see their faces, and I hear can their screams." She takes a breath, looking solemn. His heart pounded. She hadn't told him? "We have come a long way in these five short years, but we are still recovering. We are still healing. But we are doing it _together_; because we have agreed that the peace and freedom of our people outweigh radicalism, greed, and… killing."

"_What is she doing?!" _Wufei hissed.

Heero did not reply.

"We can only grow _together_ if we forge ahead. The war will never leave us unless we move on with our lives. This project, and the many projects I have spearheaded in the past, are designed to give veterans and civilians alike new leases on life. If we help our fellow man we have _nothing_ to fear."

"Liar!"

There was a collective gasp as the man in the front row jumped up towards the stage. "The Earth is in terrible danger! The meteor is bringing death and destruction! You must all repent your sins! _Your_ sins!" He brandishes his finger towards Relena.

Heero aimed the gun, lying just a bit of pressure upon the trigger. Relena gave him a look; he doesn't see what it is, but she sees the firearm.

"No, don't hurt him. Heer-"

The man rips his jacket open and there are wires; plastic packages.

He fires.

Several women in the crowd scream.

The man's head snaps back with a crack, and he crumples to the ground, detonator falling to the ground.

Panic ensued.

"Grab Ferox," Heero said immediately into his coms device.

"_Got it_," Duo's voice barely comes through as noise erupts both inside and out on the street.

"Wufei," he yells across the stage as he approaches the podium, "secure the building. And I need some crowd control." The other pilot had already nodded, disappearing into the back. Heero moved toward Relena; he had to protect the President and Foreign Minister.

* * *

A/N- If you've read and enjoyed, please review!

I finished writing & editing the co-author novel I've been working on and sent it to my boss. I'll let you guys know what happens!

If you want to stay up-to-date with my fanfiction writing process as well as read little spoilery snippits and what-not, feel free to follow on twitter/tumblr. Links in my profile!


	5. Chapter 5

Quixotic

* * *

**Chapter 5**

* * *

"You didn't have to meet us here, you know. We were perfectly safe."

Quatre took the teacup Relena presented to him and glanced at Heero, who was standing by the doorway. "I had a feeling you two would be fine," he said with a smile. "Besides, I was on my way already. Still," he frowned, looking down at the swirling liquid, "it's been quite a day."

"A would-be bomber shot down in front of Foreign Minister? During a major public project? That's not what I want plastered all over the nightly news." Dorothy spoke from where she stood by the window, arms crossed, looking out at the swarm of police, Preventer agents, and the public, clogging the streets and steps of the Assembly building.

Heero had escorted the two women down one of the underground tunnels that connected many important buildings in the Capitol, used precisely in case of attack or other compromising event. They had made their way back to the Embassy as other agents contained the situation. Quatre had arrived not long after.

"There won't be an uprising, if that's what your worried about." At his voice, the three look in Heero's direction.

"Oh the percentage of dissenters is quite low," Dorothy concedes, "but there are always those who will need to fight, and when there's no one else, the government becomes their enemy. We can't employ _all_ former soldiers."

Relena was staring at him, the teacup clenched in her fingers. The sound of Quatre's sipping pierced the silence just as there came a knocking at the door. Before Heero, his back pressed against the doorframe and pistol in hand, could ask for identification, Trowa's voice came through.

"It's Barton." He slipped inside, still dressed in his civilian clothing, Heero closing the door after him. Quatre perked up, plunking down his cup and getting to his feet.

"Trowa!"

The blonde embraced his friend, who patted his back gently, looking a bit abashed. Dorothy smiled coyly.

"When did you get here, Quatre?" They broke apart, but Quatre's hand lingered on Trowa's elbow.

"Just now-"

"Status report," Heero said shortly, before the happy reunion derailed the whole situation.

Trowa turned to stand at an easy attention. "Duo has Ferox in custody." He snorts after a moment, "I'm surprised the guy still has any of his teeth with the way Duo tackled him… Une has ordered him to be taken to HQ for questioning. Wufei is still calming down things on-site…"

"That man," Relena said sharply, loudly, drawing their attention. "The one who was shot. Is he-"

Perhaps it was the frequency of which he'd seen death, but Trowa's answer came with a wrongly-timed chuckle, as if her question were absurd. "Heero put a bullet in his head." A moment after it passed his lips he seemed to realize his mistake. Relena looked down again, a pained expression on her face. Heero frowned, an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. Trowa looked abashed. "I'm… sorry."

"It doesn't matter," Heero said harshly. Quatre's eyes went wide to stare at Relena. "Is that all?" Trowa nodded. "Right. Then you stay here. I don't want either the President or the Foreign Minister to leave this room until Wufei gives us the all-clear. I'll send Duo down to help clean up the mess out there."

Relena got to her feet. "Where are you going?" Her voice hid just a hint of desperation.

Heero frowned as she made her way over to him, Quatre pulling Trowa away into another conversation, pouring tea. Maybe the blonde meant to give them some privacy; that troubled him. It meant they assumed he and Relena had 'personal business'. That was the _opposite_ of what he'd been trying to convey for the last few years.

"Heero…"

"Hn?"

"You're leaving? Right now?" She stopped a few inches from him.

Her closeness was… difficult.

He nodded stiffly. "Yeah."

"You're not going to kill that poor man, are you?"

"I need to question him."

Her eyebrows drew together, shoulders squaring. "Torture is illegal now. In the first provision of our constitution-"

"I am aware of our _constitution_, Relena; I heard the first draft. You read it to me, if you remember."

She flushed, and he was aware he might have said something wrong, but it was too bad. She was talking to him like he was some politician. He didn't like it.

Relena got quiet. "Your _tone_, Heero-"

"I have to go."

"_Heero_," she hissed, reaching to grab the cuff of his jacket, but missing.

He paused with his hand on the door. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill him. Or torture him. I'm just going to ask him ask him a few questions." They locked eyes just for a second before he ducked outside and closed the door behind him.

The hallway was silent.

In a very rare moment Heero looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes, taking a breath to calm him heart. He couldn't keep doing this. Straightening back up, he stalking off towards the hallway that would connect him to the Preventer's building.

* * *

"Well, shoot. He didn't put up much of a fight, to be honest."

"I'm glad you took him alive. It's nice to remind people we _do_ take prisoners once in a while."

For the first time, he spoke up. "Relena's life was in danger."

Both Duo and Lady Une turned from where they were watching Ferox, who was sitting in a chair on the other side of the observation glass. The braided pilot looked stricken, but Une looked unsurprised that he'd been standing there.

"You're not as quiet as you once were," she said, like she was reading his mind. He glowered, coming out of the shadows. "But you heard everything?" He nodded.

"Sheesh," Duo took a backwards step, scratching the back of his head as Heero came up to the glass. "I didn't even hear you come inside."

"And you're suppose to be stealthy," the woman quipped.

"Like I haven't heard that one before…" Duo spoke out the side of his mouth.

"Has he said anything?" Heero interrupted.

"No," Une answered simply.

He moved his hand to the door handle.

"Wait-" Duo said.

It was only courtesy that he stopped, not curiosity.

"Do you want to play good-cop bad-cop?" The American looked hopeful. Heero could nearly seem himself in those wide eyes.

Hn, might be interesting…

"You ask the questions."

Duo blinked, hiking a thumb at his own chest. "Wait, me? What about you?"

"I'll listen. You'll talk. You're good at that at least."

The braided man pushed past him, grumbling, but pleased nonetheless. Heero cast a bored look in Une's direction before following Duo inside the interview room.

Ferox looked up when they entered. Duo took a seat across the table; Heero strode around to stand behind Ferox against the wall, arms crossed. The man followed him with his eyes, swiveling in his seat to watch. He neither looked scared nor angry, just intensely interested.

"Don't worry about him," Duo said flippantly, slapping a folder down on the table, leaning back in the chair and crossing his legs. Ferox turned in his seat to face the table once more.

He looked a bit older in person than in his photos. The brown hood of his drawn-up robe and his usual dark sunglasses had made Ferox hard to see on camera. But up close, the man cuffed to the chair looked like anything but some crazy cult leader. Shortly-shaven graying hair, lined face; maybe early forties- he looked like a tired politician.

"I'm allowed a lawyer, am I not?"

"Pifft," Duo cradled the back of his head with his arms, "you're not under arrest."

"Then I must be free to go."

Duo laughed up at the bank of overhead lights before uncurling himself to lean forward on the table, smile dropping from his face. When he spoke next his tone was neither kind nor humorous. "You're lucky you don't have a bullet in your brain. Like your friend."

"You killed Toman?"

"No. I did."

Ferox turned his head as far as he could to look again at Heero, whose arms were tightly crossed. The man's watery blue eyes searched his face before narrowing. Heero looked back, impassive, but… Was he imagining it, or was there some element of… recognition?

To their surprise the accused cult leader smiled, letting out a snort of laughter, turning around to eye Duo in a way that, Heero seeing his co-worker's confused face, confirmed it. This man knew who they were.

"I want to speak with him. Alone," Ferox tilted his head back towards Heero, "if you don't mind."

Duo's mouth hung open. "I don't know who the fuck you think you are-"

"He's Relena Peacecraft's bodyguard, is he not?"

"Foreign Minister Darlian," Heero corrected, walking around the table to get a better look at him.

"Of course," Ferox replied, following him with his eyes, "my apologies." He sniffed. Now," his finger pointed to Duo, looking at Heero expectantly. "Put the children out so the adults can talk business… Alpha."

The room suddenly felt very, very cold.

"Maxwell, get out."

Duo paused where he was launching himself over the table in response to the insult. "But-"

"_Now_."

There was a wrapping on the glass. Une. Duo's face scrunched as he pushed away from the table with such force that it scraped along the floor in Ferox's direction, shoving into the man's personal space. He sent Heero a withering look before wrenching the door open and slamming it behind him.

Heero pulled the table back and pushed the chair in, taking a seat. He un-holstered his weapon, and made sure Ferox saw him take the safety off, before placing it on the table with his hand wrapped firmly around the grip, trigger finger lying just off to one side. The prisoner watched with that same mild fascination; how a child would regard the strange goings-on of animals at the zoo.

"If you ever put Relena in danger again," Heero said softly, dangerously, "I will put a bullet in you. Not in your head," he lifted the gun barrel off the table, directing it lazily at the man's face, "in your gut." His aim traveled down. "You will bleed out. Slowly."

"Oh, _that_." Ferox rolled his eyes. "She was in no _danger_. There was no _bomb_. You'll find the man you shot was wearing nothing at all that could have exploded."

"Then why-"

"Might you un-cuff my hands? I wish to sit a bit more comfortably..."

"No."

Ferox licked his lips, growing bored. "Isn't all this violence against your client's ideals?"

"I'm not a pacifist. And you said it yourself, she's a client. I don't have to agree with her to protect her."

"Mmmhmm…"

"What did you mean," Heero continued, "about there not being a bomb."

"It was a simple PR stunt."

A PR stunt that got someone killed. He'd murdered another innocent person.

Damn it.

"What did you mean about calling me Alpha."

"That was your name for a time, was it not?"

"A long time ago."

"Ten years is not so long…"

"There've been two wars in those ten years. And you've served in neither." Heero nodded towards the document files slightly spread upon the table. "You appeared out of no where and yet you know my codename from my training. Not many people with that information," he caught Ferox's eyes, "are still alive."

The man smiled, shrugging his shoulders as high as he could with his hands still bound. "I was part of the original Operation Meteor." Heero snorted. He didn't believe it. "And I knew your father."

At that his breath caught in his throat. "Then you worked for OZ."

Ferox cracked a wide grin, a small chortle in the back of his throat growing into full-fledged laughter. And it was direct at… him.

Heero grit his teeth.

"Oh yes," Ferox crowed. "_Odin Lowe_. Your _father_! Oh my, oh my, Alpha, you're sense of humor has not changed that's for certain." The man shook his head in mock disbelief. "So, tell me, what are you going by now if not Alpha or Zero One? When you gunned down that poor, innocent protestor I might have heard some other name…"

"Hn, did you?"

"I have ears you know," Ferox whispers, looking round the room, "in places you would not expect. Might I have heard the pretty little Minister call you… Heero?" At the look that question received, Ferox drew the appropriate conclusion. "Oh that _is_ an interesting development. I can't believe Null gave you _that_ name! It's too funny! What a old prankster!"

Heero's free hand came down upon the table, shocking Ferox into silence. The ringing metal sound faded away before Heero said calmly, "I'm still asking you questions."

The man smiled, sitting back, "Oh yes." But he was slightly breathless, maybe a little bit scared. "Please, continue."

"If you were involved in Operation Meteor, why have I never heard of you?"

Ferox looked a bit wistful. "My arm of the Operation was cut short before the launch date. We failed. I went into hiding, of course. There was going to be a war after all…"

"You failed? At what?"

"Tell me," the man leaned forward against the cuffs, "have you heard of the approaching meteor? Of the world's changing?" When he didn't receive a response, Ferox continued. "You must repent, Heero Yuy, for all your past sins. Accept the meteor's power into your heart and you can be free again."

"Again?" Heero slid the gun off the table, holstering it. "I was never free."

"Ahh, now you're getting somewhere. But there is a place for you… with us; the Children of the Meteor."

"Hn. You're trying to recruit me now?"

"I don't need to."

The man was playing games again. Heero didn't have time for this. He stood from his chair, adjusting his jacket before gathering up the files on the table.

Ferox watched him with a disappointed expression. "What, you're leaving already? But we have so much to catch up on… So much to discuss."

"I'm done discussing with you."

"Then maybe send Ms. Darlian in, would you?"

On the way to the door, he paused. Without turning back, Heero spoke. "She has nothing to say to you, and nothing you have to say is of any interest to her."

"Oh I don't know about that," Ferox crooned, "I'm sure I can give her lots of details concerning your… former life…"

Before he had time to regulate his reaction, the files had dropped to the floor and he was striding across the room towards the bound man, gripping the front of his robes and partially hoisting him up off the chair, free hand swinging back in a clenched fist, aiming for the man's face.

Une and Maxwell's voices spilled into the room as they burst through the door.

Ferox spoke quickly but quietly, so that no one else could hear. "I doubt Miss Darlian would be pleased if her lover had any _more_ blood on his hands."

His fist stopped within a hairsbreadth of the man's cheekbone.

"Heero!"

"Yuy, that's enough!"

The room was quiet, tense, before he shoved the man back down, Ferox sprawling into the chair. Une and Duo looked on as he turned on his heel and stalked back through the doorway, stepping over the spilled papers without much notice. He could hear Ferox's laughter bouncing after him down the hallway.

* * *

In the dark of one of the unoccupied conference rooms- he never really had an 'office'; he never sat down long enough to require one- the glow from a Preventer's computer terminal illuminated Heero's face.

He was still… upset. If you could call it that.

His hands skimmed across the keys.

_O-d-i-n _

_L-o-w-e_

He pressed the 'return' key and up came his father's info file.

He couldn't count the number of times he'd poured over this page. He did so again, but there was still no mention of anyone named Xen Ferox.

He tried '_Doctor J Null'_.

Nothing.

He even pulled up his own file, and his mother's- what was left of it. Part of her OZ information packet had been corrupted.

Not a single mention of the man.

He searched every document on anyone he could think of who had _any_ kind of affiliation with Operation Meteor and didn't turn up a damn thing.

Heero let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. He sat up a bit straighter when the door to the room opened and Trowa poked his head inside.

"Hey," the man said, opening the door wider. "Duo told me what happened."

That braided idiot and his _fucking_ big mouth. Heero sighed again, but it was less out of nerves that time and more out of barely-contained rage. "Aren't you supposed to be protecting the President?"

"Wufei is-"

"_Wufei_ is supposed to be on _crowd duty_. Does the entire Agency fall apart when I'm not there to direct it?" His tone was harsh, more so than he had intended, but he was still feeling off-kilter and angry. He barely registered that he was calling them all incompetent, and for Gundam pilots, that would be quite an insult.

The brow over Trowa's visible eye shot up, but otherwise he looked completely unfazed. "Protecting the President? Do you have any idea what time it is? Relena and Dorothy just went to dinner with Quatre. Wufei took care of the crime scene hours ago. How long have you been up here?"

Heero blinked at him for a moment before pulling out his cell phone, checking the time.

_1835_

"Shit."

"Yeah. She was pretty angry."

His head snapped up. "Huh?" But he knew exactly who Trowa had meant.

"Lady Une wants your full report by tomorrow morning. She's… unhappy too, to say the least."

"Let me guess," he said, "They didn't find a single explosive on the body."

Trowa shook his head. "He was wired. He even had a detonator. But the C4 was just putty, like the kind from that children's toy. I don't think the kid knew it was fake; he was fully prepared martyr himself."

Then Ferox knew Heero would shoot regardless. It was a set-up. But why? What was Ferox getting at? Did he _want_ to be taken into custody?

"Has Maxwell been able to extract any more information?"

"Not really. The guy keeps trying to convert anyone who's within earshot. They're holding him in temporary cell. You're the only one who was able to get anything out of him." Trowa paused for a long moment before asking, "Is it true? He knows who you are?"

"He knows who we all are. He says he was part of Operation Meteor but that something went wrong, so he fled."

Trowa came forward. "Is _that_ true?"

Heero glanced at the computer. "According to what I can find on him, which is absolutely nothing, he doesn't even exist."

The other pilot dropped something with a _thwunk _to the desk. "Maybe this will help us."

Heero pulled the object towards him- a small leather book. "What is it?"

"Ferox's personal ledger. I got it off him when Duo had him pinned. I was hesitant to give it to you…"

"Hn?"

Trowa smiled thinly. "Because you need to rest. You look like hell. Go home."

"I'm on duty tomorrow…"

"I'll take your shift."

"But the report…"

"What's Une going to do? Fire her best employee? Now you're just making excuses. Go _home_, Heero Yuy."

A muscle in his jaw tightened, but Heero knew he had been beaten. He might as well pack up and get some sleep. He took the book with him, thanking Trowa on his way out.

Driving back through town it was getting dark, but he couldn't help taking a little detour. He idled his motorbike on the other side of the street across from the up-scale hotel Quatre always stayed in when visiting the capitol. If they had all gone to dinner together, there was no doubt Relena was inside.

His leg was getting tired propping up the bike, but he waited just a little bit longer. Part of him wished she'd come outside, spot him, and they could talk. He didn't know what he would say, but he wanted a chance to say it. Relena did not appear, and he did not park to go inside.

Walking into his apartment felt like stepping off onto another planet. So much had happened that day; his adrenaline had been running full-tilt and he was just now starting to crash.

He chugged a glass of water, stripping off his shirt and tossing it onto the chair, digging the toe of one boot under the heel of the other, popping off his shoes. He paused to get another glass, drinking it down in bug gulps before kicking off his jeans along with everything else.

Heero didn't even bother to grab something to eat, although he was faintly aware that he might be hungry. He had been taught to suppress such urges when necessary, so he ignored the small gnawing feeling and collapsed into bed. It was a testament to how truly exhausted he was when he fell asleep almost immediately after his head touched the pillow, not even bothering to retrieve his gun from its belt holster upon the ground.

For many years his dreams were not enjoyable. During the war he either didn't sleep long enough to have them, or they would be nightmares. Faces of people he'd killed. Buildings burning. Terror. After serving as Relena's bodyguard, Heero might have thought he'd moved on to more pleasant scenery, but that night, amid his swirling, troubled mind, he saw the face of the man he'd gunned down at the Assembly building. How the wild eyes went wide, jaw slacked; his look of slight surprise as the bullet sunk into his brain.

In the dream it felt like he was moving through heavy water. Relena bolted toward him on the stage, calling out for him to stop, but he did not. He fired. Again and again. Over and over.

He could hear Ferox from some unseen place, overlaying the repeating scene of violence with maddening laughter. It filled his head, making him stumble, the gun dropping. In those moments the bomber jumped up from his seat once again, scrambling towards the Foreign Minister.

No! He had to protect her!

The floor rushed up to meet him; he had fallen to his knees.

Across the stage he could see the man pull Relena towards him, ripping open his bulging vest, detonating the explosives.

The ball of fire tore through them.

Heero woke abruptly, body jolting.

In the quiet heaviness of his breathing he heard a strange sound. Rustling. Footfalls.

He quieted, going on full alert.

Someone was in his apartment.

Opening one eye he could see it was light out, maybe late morning. His head was turned away towards the wall; he couldn't see who the intruder was without alerting said intruder. Very slowly his hand inched up the bed sheet to disappear under the pillow, going for his pistol.

But it wasn't there.

* * *

A/n- Who could it possibly be?! If you've read and enjoyed, please review!

**(Note:** If you've asked me a question but used this site's Guest review feature, I can't respond! I'll be replying to some anonymous questions on my tumblr, so feel free to hit me up there. Links in profile.**)**

Wow, this is super early, huh? Don't plan on this becoming routine or anything-haha. I'm between projects right now, so I can allow a little more time for fanficiton. But Camp NaNoWriMo starts again in July and I'll be picking up a few more editing projects from my boss, so I'll be back to the 'once-a-month' schedule soon enough. I'll try and write as much as I can until then, so enjoy it!

I've been thinking of doing some 'deleted scenes' or vignettes for some Quixotic tie-ins. What do you guys think? Would you like to read how Une convinced Heero to come back and work for the Preventers after EW?


	6. Chapter 6

Quixotic

* * *

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Heero remembered he'd dropped the gun belt to the floor the previous night and only half noticed; he'd been so tired.

Damn.

His hand slipped out from under the pillow and down next to his chest, then hip, reaching over the edge of the bed to the mattress, fingers closing on the handle of the combat knife taped to the underside of the frame. He had no real intention of killing anyone, but the blade was long enough to insight real fear. A sufficient deterrent.

He waited one rise and fall of his chest.

And then another.

In a single fluid motion he rolled over to one side and pulled the knife from its sheath, hitting the ground on all fours, springing up and whirling around with the weapon clutched in one hand; brandished.

But all that greeted him were black-slack clad legs sticking out of the mini-fridge, the top half of whoever obscured by the open plastic door.

"The only thing in here is soda…" came a familiar voice. An American voice. Fucking Duo Maxwell. Of course. "… And an ice tray," he finished after a moment, brandishing the object over the top of the fridge. "An _empty_ ice tray. What the hell do you even _eat_?" Heero was silent, glowering. "Huh?!"

"Inside the cupboard." Heero lowered the knife. "Military rations…" he finished lamely.

There came an exasperated sigh. "You live in the _capitol city_ of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation and you're eating old MREs?"

"They're not expired," he shrugged.

"Pifft!"

Duo straightened up, swinging the mini-fridge closed in one motion, turning to look across the room. He was suddenly a deer caught in headlights as he jumped backwards, a hand flying up to cover his eyes. "Holy shit!"

Heero stared for a moment with a blank expression. Eventually he deadpanned, "Why are you in my house?"

"Man, will you put on some clothes or something? G_eez!_"

A muscle in Heero's jaw twitched, feeling a bit flushed. He stalked talking over to the dresser and shot a cool look towards the kitchenette as he tugged on a pair of jeans. Duo had turned his back, braid swinging, fingers drumming over the countertop. From there Heero noticed two brown paper bags perched next to the mini-fridge.

Hn…

"Want to know who sent me?" Duo said in an almost sing-song voice, rustling through he first parcel.

"No."

"Aw, come on."

"You want me to guess?"

"That _is_ the idea."

"Hn. No."

The American let out a flustered sigh, looking a little back over his shoulder to where Heero was pulling down a green tank top, and turned to lean on the small breakfast bar. "You're no fun. You know that, right?"

If it were anyone else he would have been livid. All right, he was livid anyway, but Duo was the only one besides Relena who could push him this far without fear of actual bodily retribution. It had something to do with his… affection for the man. Kindred spirited.

And Heero had two guesses about _who_ had prompted Duo's arrival, but he wasn't about to indulge in the conversation. Either it was Relena or Une. Or maybe Quatre, because it was _Quatre_. Okay, three guesses.

"I'll repeat. Why are you here?"

"Okay, you win," Duo said, ignoring his friend's haughty tone, ticking off his fingers as he went through the list. "So Trowa told Quatre he was taking your shift today, and Quatre told Relena when they were finishing dinner, and _she_ asked _me_ if there was anything wrong but of course _I_ had no idea, sooo… It's actually a trick question. I came here myself." Heero shook his head in disgust as he picked the handgun up off the floor, checking the safety before he placed it down on the bedside table. They were like a goddamn knitting group. At least Wufei hadn't been sucked in. Yet. "I brought supplies," Maxwell finished with a certain tone to his voice.

He grunted. "Supplies?"

"For our investigation!" The man grinned. "You _do_ have the book Trowa gave you, right?" Heero nodded slowly. "Well then, we got some work to do! I have beer…" He rooted around the paper bag and extracted a six-pack of glass bottles.

"We can't drink when on duty."

"Man, in case you haven't noticed, we're not _on_ duty."

A muscle in Heero's temple twitched. He didn't bother to ask how Duo had managed to slip past his sensors and booby traps. Maybe it was an attempted display of prowess, from all the recent teasing.

"What time is it?" He asked instead as he pulled up the chair with his jacket slung over the back and extracted the small leather book from the inside pocket, sitting down.

"Couple minutes after noon," came the reply, along with the _pop-fizz_ of two bottles being opened. "Just in time for a drink without being a drunk." There was a snort of laughter as Maxwell giggled at his own joke. Heero rolled his eyes to the ceiling in silent protest.

"Here."

He took the chilled bottle as it was pressed into his hand and allowed himself a small sip. "Huh," he looked at the label, "North American."

Duo took a seat in the chair opposite. "S'good?"

"Hn," he replied, taking another, larger swig. Duo beamed at the 'compliment'.

Well, it was time to get down to business, wasn't it? Heero pushed the bottle away on the table and pulled the elastic band off from around Ferox's book. The leather cover was worn, a little ratty, stained in places and straining with shoved-in scraps of paper.

"You took this off him?"

"Trowa did." Duo cracked his knuckles. "I was too busy implanting my fist into Ferox's face."

Heero thumbed through the pages; they were rice paper thin. Tiny, black writing filled every inch, cover to cover. Unreadable black writing; little squiggles and lines peppered with dots of various sizes.

Duo sucked down a big gulp of beer. "It's in code."

"I see that," Heero murmured, thumb tracing over the abstract, geometric designs that overlapped the text. They were precise, either created with the use of a ruler or by one steady hand, only they made little sense. It all seemed completely random.

"Any ideas?"

Heero started from the beginning, on the inside of the front cover as his mind flicked through a seemingly endless list of combinations- military encrypting and old civilian languages now long dead. With a huff he finally admitted, "It's like nothing I've ever seen before."

Duo's eyebrow quirked up as he slouched down in his chair, legs extended under the table, "Well that's a first."

Heero shot him a look. "Ferox must have created it himself." He turned a few more pages.

Besides the 'words' and thick lines, once in a while they found full-page unfinished sketches. Most of the drawings were abstract; circles within circles, but others looked like vague portraits or cityscapes; planets and weird perspectives of space craft and buildings.

A page of writing turned over to reveal another face, and Heero froze.

Duo craned over to see what had caused the pause and let out a low whistle. "Man, that is creepy…" He pointed a finger. "Is that you?"

Heero's voice came out a bit weaker than he would have liked. "How should I know?"

"Because it looks like you."

He grit his teeth. He didn't want to admit it… but it did just a bit. It was one eye, half a face; a jaw line and a small fop of hair that blended into more indecipherable text, but still… how could it possibly be? He'd never met Ferox in his life.

Coincidence. There was simply _zero_ evidence to the contrary…

"_I was part of the original Operation Meteor_… _and I knew your father."_

He cleared his throat, quickly flipping to a different page. "What exactly did Ferox say during her sermons?"

Leaning back, Duo closed his eyes and gesticulated with his hands. "Oh, ya know, just a bunch of crazy-man mumbo-jumbo." He took on a mocking voice, "_The meteor is coming to reap humanities sins! Repent and you'll be saved!_ All that kind of jazz."

"Nothing specific?"

"I dunno, man."

Heero glowered. "You can't remember?" he shot accusatorily.

Duo's eyes snapped open and he threw up his hands. "I told you he was tracking something but you said to forget it! If there's something concrete it's in _there."_ He pointed to the book, got to his feet, and retreated once again towards the grocery bags. "Don't worry, I didn't come unprepared." He came back and plopped down a ream of paper and two markers onto the table.

"What's that." It wasn't really a question. He knew the answer. Heero gestured towards the laptop, "We can use the algorithmic-"

"Pifft!" Duo cracked his knuckles, cutting him off. "We're doing this old school style!"

Heero didn't bother with a retort, although his disapproval would have been obvious by his expression. Nonetheless, he picked up one of the pens, propped open the book with one of the bottles, and slid a piece of paper towards him.

More than a few drinks each and some hours later they were no closer to figuring out what Ferox had written. An empty pizza box lay forgotten near the trashcan. Duo had ordered, but conveniently, had also misplaced his wallet. Heero paid.

"I think I've finally figured it out." The American's voice was muffled, arms thrown up over his face where he lay belly-up and wrong-way-round at the bottom of Heero's bed. His shoes dangled over one side, eyes closed against the dozen or so pages with half-cocked translations taped above him on the low ceiling. "It's in some alien language."

Heero tipped his chair back onto two legs and let out a short breath through his nose.

"No, seriously!"

"It's much more likely the man was insane. _Is_ insane," he amended.

Their whole investigation was starting to feel a bit pointless.

Eyeing his own failed attempts at decoding, Heero tilted his head back, bringing his new… third? beer to his lips. He was just a bit tipsy. It was no small annoyance that Maxwell could drink him under the table. Only Wufei had the talent to keep up with the American.

Alcohol, if he remembered correctly, lead to slips in judgment, and following almost routinely from point to point, his mind wandered back to his favorite distraction: Relena.

The way she had looked at him when he left to interrogate Ferox…

She was infuriating. Always had been, and, he was suspecting, always would be. She was at first too clingy; her infatuation of him had been intense. And he hadn't ignored her to protect her either, not in the beginning. He had genuinely wanted to be rid of her. And then, when he did speak his mind, took an interest in her enough to criticize some of her opinions, she had rebuked him.

There was no pleasing that woman.

And so it went. He'd taken the job of protecting her and she'd been open, happy, but he knew it was dangerous. He resisted… and then gave in; a willing participant with the gnawing feeling that they would have to pay for their transgressions.

_pay for their sins_

They were always missing each other.

They always got on the wrong train, went in opposite directions, or got off on the wrong platform from one another.

He took another gulp of drink.

They were never in sync, not really, and yet they mirrored each other so perfectly; gravitated towards each other almost effortlessly.

Swig number two.

They were binary stars whose orbits never fully aligned.

The beer was down to foam now.

It was maddening, he thought hotly, and stared down to the leather book on the table. Just like Ferox's stupid code. Pieces of a jigsaw he could never solve. Circles within circles. Players in some unseen design. Intersecting points of…

He leaned forward, the legs of his chair coming back to the floor with two loud _clunks_.

"A puzzle."

Duo sat up. "What was that? H-hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

But Heero had already ripped off the cover's binding and tossed it away, revealing the glued together threads holding the pages together. Jumping up, ignoring the way his body titled against the table, just barely off-balance, Heero took the knife from the dresser and carefully ran the blade down the length of the spine, cutting away the dried adhesive.

"The circles," he said in a concentrated tone, "orbiting each other."

Duo let out a low whistle, sliding off the bed and taking his empty bottle with him. "That's it man, you've finally lost it." He made a swooping sound. "Right out into deep space."

The book split in his hands like an apple cleaved in two. Heero passed half the text over to the American, plus the knife. "Separate out any of the pages with the thick lines over the text." He moved towards the kitchen, grabbing another serrated blade.

"What about the pictures?"

"Any page with broad designs."

Brow furrowed, tongue stuck between his teeth, the braided man began to carefully pull away each page, separating some into one pile, and some into another.

It took them nearly fifteen minutes to filet the entire ledger, careful not to tear any of the pages. The stacks of discards were passed off onto one of the chairs as the pair spread out the remaining scraps out on the table's surface.

"Oh yeah," Duo said immediately as he made the connection. He pulled two pages together from random spots, rotating one by a few degrees. The sweeping lines on the first page, when overlapped, continued unbroken down onto the next. "Shit. I don't believe it. They fit together." He gave Heero a quizzical look. "How'd ya ever figure that one out?"

Heero shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. He'd stared at the images for so long his brain had automatically begun categorizing them. From then on it was just a matter of recognizing the pattern. He told Duo so, who looked a mix of disbelief and amusement.

"That's nuts, man."

"We were trying to translate the wrong part. It's very likely the text has no meaning at all, just a way for the images to remain encoded…" he trailed off, annoyed and a bit loose-lipped thanks to the alcohol.

Duo pulled the free chair around, sitting down on it backwards, and went to work. Heero left him for the kitchenette, pouring himself some water. If he didn't do something soon he was going to have one horrible headache.

A few moments later came a breathless, "No way…"

He swallowed a gulp of water. "Hn? What is it?"

"Come have a look at this."

The majority of pieces had been arranged and it looked like…

"That's Earth."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Here, what are these?"

Heero peered over to another group of pages, looking at where Duo was pointing. After a silent moment he found the pattern, and pulled three pages together. "The moon?"

"Naw, it's too small. Plus, look, it's following a dotted line. It starts way out but… kinda seems like it'll end up here." Duo tapped his finger at a small point on the Earth's surface, which was accompanied by roughly drawn latitude and longitudinal lines.

With that down, the rest of the pages seemed to fall into place. By the time they were done and stepped back, the image that had emerged was more or less complete. On the left side towards the bottom, the Earth's surface burgeoned upwards, the major constellations framing a small flying object barreling in from the top right.

"It's a map," Heero said finally.

Duo gave him a sideways glance. "You sure?"

Heero narrowed his eyes, finger tracing over the triangulating points denoting the object's possible trajectory. If he were right there could be no denying it, the 'meteor' would become caught in the planet's gravitational pull.

In a low tone, he murmured, "But where is it going to land?"

With hands planted firmly on his hips, Duo's tone was far more serious that usual. "More importantly, _what_ is it?"

As far as Ferox was concerned it was a meteor, but how was that possible? Like Trowa said, it's flight path was too smooth, and the object almost too small. It would certainly burn up in the atmosphere.

"Is Wufei at headquarters today?"

Duo blinked. "Uh, yeah."

"Send him a picture of this," he ordered sternly as he opened up his laptop.

Maxwell had to stand on one of the chairs to get a good aerial shot while Heero opened the Preventer's terminal and logged on to the satellite network. His days of hacking, it seemed, were long over. All he had to do to view the ESUN space surveillance directory was input his password. He began combing through the cache of recent images from both terran and colony satellites. If there _was_ an object hurling towards them through space, it should have been picked up _somewhere_.

A few moments later and Duo's obnoxious ringtone pierced the silence.

"It's Wufei."

"Put him on speaker."

The phone chimed.

"Hey hey, what up Wu-man!"

"_Maxwell," _Wufei snapped tersely._ "What the hell did you just send me? It looks like some child's art project…" _He paused a moment. _"Or __**your **__art project_."

Duo's face scrunched, about to retort, but Heero cut in.

"I want a cross reference of that image with the Preventer's GIS."

If Wufei was surprised to hear his voice, he didn't acknowledge it. _"Right. I'll call you back."_ The line went dead, and the room buzzed with a pregnant kind of silence.

Eventually, Duo let out a giant sigh, shaking his head, taking his beer over to the brown bag of empties. Heero swung back his own liquor but found the bottle disappointedly empty.

There were too many unknowns about the situation for his liking. It made an unusual knot of apprehension twist in the pit of his stomach.

Could the 'meteor' be a holdover from their original Operation? Ferox said he'd abandoned his post as a dissenting scientist… so his experiments had been scrapped… right?

What if the object crashed to Earth and released some chemical agent? What it was a bomb? Somewhere in the back of his mind a small voice spoke up, _What if it was a Gundam?_

But that was crazy. It couldn't be. The Gundams were destroyed. There's been an entire ESUN purge of all mobile suits once the Mariemaia incident had died down. Hell, if an in-space construction company wanted to purchase something as simple as a pilot-driven welding unit they had to pass numerous, rigorous inspections.

Instead of Duo's phone buzzing, there came a tinny chime on the computer's video link. As Heero clicked the icon, Wufei's low-lit office came into view.

Heero gave a curt nod. "Do you have it?"

Wufei's lip curled. _"Have what, exactly? You're aware that, according to the computer, there's nothing up there. No sign of any flying object on the infrared radar or the satellite. Aside from all the regular space junk, of course. All I've got is Maxwell's collage."_

"It's not _my_ collage! Geez! It's-"

"_But," _Wufei's voice lowered conspiratorially,_ "if someone __**were**__ able to fly something into ESUN space undetected, and according to the chart you sent me, I was able to get a rough estimate of where it might land. And when."_

Heero was silent, but his brows drew together in concentration as a separate image macro came over the link-up.

Duo clucked his tongue. "What is that? The desert?"

"_Northern Sudan."_

"But there's nothen out there!"

"_I'll send over the exact coordinates." _The text filtered in through the chat window._ "It like we've got a little over thirty hours before the 'meteor' enters the atmosphere. Oh, and Une wants to talk to you," _he said pointedly at Heero, a hint of humor curling his words.

Heero nodded, but on the inside he groaned. It would be about the shooting no doubt, and his poor performance in the interrogation. Wonderful. He certainly wasn't looking forward to it. "We'll talk soon."

"_Roger that."_

The video cut off. Heero opened the mail application.

There was an uncomfortable squeeze to his chest, and when he spoke, it almost sounded as if the words were coming from someone else. Hollow.

"I'm sure this is all just a false alarm."

Duo scoffed, eyeing him strangely. "You wish."

He did.

Before, during the war, he had felt little in the way of apprehension when new battles loomed on the horizon. He had known, very well, that those he knew and eventually would called 'friend' could be taken away from him; by either their deaths or by his. But he had moved forward, taking the paths his head and heart told him were his destiny, despite any possible consequences.

Had those consequences now become too great? Was he being stubborn? Blind?

Was he hesitant to act because he had become attached to the life he was now leading? Before he had nothing to hold on to; now he felt anchored, and it made him uneasy.

"We need to be there when that thing lands. We need to assemble a team."

"Pretty sure we got that covered."

Heero couldn't help the smirk. "I suppose you're right." He typed up a short memo and CCd it to the other pilots. And to Une. Including the Commander might garner him some much-needed points.

_-Attn: 02;03;04;05;Gold _

_-Unidentified object will penetrate Earth's atmosphere in two days time at approximately 1500. _

_-Requesting all agents and affiliates present at the following coordinates:_

_-20.076570, 26.718750_

_-Transport to be arranged at the South Peninsula Private Airfield at 0800._

_-Be prompt. _

Quatre would have little problem letting them borrow his plane and his tarmac.

He hit '_send'._

Duo tipped up onto the balls of his feet, hands shoved into his pockets. "So… what do ya wanna do now?"

"Well," Heero said as he closed the computer, "we need to report in to headquarters tomorrow morning."

The American sent a dubious glance at the bag of empty beer bottles. "And I ain't driving right now that's for sure." He seemed to flush. "Can I-?"

"I'll take the floor."

"Great, man, thanks…. another drink?"

"Hn."

He was already in for a penny…

They proceeded to watch a myriad of shit programming that somehow counted as television, but changed to the ESUN news broadcast at six. The plastic-looking woman on-screen was giving a bit of an update on yesterday's incident. It had at first been called another assassination attempt on the Foreign Minister's life, or maybe the President's, but Relena had apparently made a brief press conference earlier that morning.

The newsroom cut to the recorded statement. Relena was standing on the steps of the Embassy building, speaking into an array of microphones sprouting up from the bottom of the screen. Her hair was pulled back; she looked tired. Beautiful... but tired.

"_I want to make it very clear that neither myself nor the President were in any immediate danger."_

Behind her left shoulder stood a stoic, sunglass-clad agent with sweeping bangs. Upon seeing Trowa, Heero felt a twinge of shame. It should have been _him_ up there…

"_If you weren't in any danger," _the voice of a reporter came over the mics, "_why is the perpetrator now dead?"_

"_I'm afraid I cannot comment on-"_

"_We've also heard rumors that an unknown number of protestors were taken into custody and are currently being held without being charged. Would you care to comment on __**that**_,_Foreign Minister?"_

Relena took a small swallow, nodding her head down just a fraction, but Trowa intervened, leaning forward to whisper something very quietly in her ear. She blinked.

"_I'm afraid I don't have time for hearsay," _she said finally._ "But we have no evidence that leads us to believe the public is in any danger. Thank you for your time,"_ she finished, smiling at the camera like she was smiling at him. The squabble of reporters cut off as the news station switched back to the anchor.

"_Minister Darlian declined to-"_

Duo shook his head where he sat on the edge of the bed, a sideways grin flashing a bit of teeth. "Unflappable. That woman really is something. Oh. Damn. That reminds me." He took out his phone, hopping down onto the floor as he hit speed dial. Heero could hear the line ringing faintly as Duo strode across the room towards the front door. Just as the American's hand depressed the handle, someone must have picked up. He heard him say in a soft, almost tender voice, "Hey, hey, Hilde babe," before he stepped out onto the front landing, door closing gently behind him.

Heero's own phone weighed heavily in his pocket. He took it out and turned it over, staring down at the screen. He imagined Relena's name and cell number flashing back up at him, but she never tried to call him when away on a mission, no matter how worried she might be.

But at that very moment there was the strongest urge to call her; to hear her voice from the other side say his name in that excited, breathless tone. He wanted to make sure she knew he was sorry, and that he was fine. But even stronger was the desire to protect her. It was a kneejerk reaction, he knew, but giving her as little information as possible was the best way to keep her safe.

And so he did nothing.

Heero exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he's been holding and pocketed the phone once more.

* * *

A/n- If you've enjoyed, let me know! Please review!

Hey guys, sorry for being a few days late. . .busy. Hopefully the double upload last month makes up for it, plus this chapter is a bit longer.

Some good new on the noveling front: my boss wants to start pitching the co-author manuscript I've been working on! Right now I'm in the editing stages, so that'll take a month or so, but it's all looking pretty good! Eeek!

More to come! Thanks for reading! Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Quixotic

* * *

**Chapter Seven  
**

* * *

Bright and early the next morning, they flashed their badges at the Preventer's building side-door sensor. Heero tipped up his sunglasses for the retina scan, inwardly wincing from the sunlight. Now he remembered why he hated beer.

"Welp," Duo bounced on his heels, obviously unaffected as they rode the elevator upwards, "guess I'm not leaving for space any time soon." He thought for a moment, and then added, "Not that I'm complain'n or anything. That was the best sleep I've had in _weeks_."

"Hn," Heero replied, stretching his neck to one side, trying to ignore the headache. Easy for him to say. The lift made a pleasant 'ding' as they glided to a stop; the bell sounded more cheerful than he felt.

Duo waved as the doors open, "Have fun." He didn't even try and hide his cheeky little grin.

Heero shot him a withering look as he exited- although, like the alcohol, it didn't seem to put a dent in Maxwell's demeanor.

The door slid shut as he walked the length of the hallway towards the corner office. Une's office. It had a spectacular view of the downtown on two sides, but he doubted they'd be enjoying the scenery that morning

Unlike the rest of the Preventer's head staff, Une did not have a secretary. He rapped on the door a couple of times, all without answer, and so he let himself in. He slipped through and closed the door behind him.

The office looked the same as ever. Two broad windows, a simple oak tabletop with computer, holoscreen, tablet, writing ledger… photograph. No. Photo_graphs_. One he knew very well and one that looked… new. The first was a gilded frame, a snapshot of Treiz from his stint at the Academy. The man looked boyish, high-spirited; idealistic and foolish.

"Humph." It was an amused sigh that accompanied the small upward quirk to a corner of his mouth.

Triez.

Heero picked up the second picture as he eased down into the visitor's chair. A twelve year-old Mariemaia Kushrenada sat astride a horse, helmet tipped down to one side and a self-confident smirk twisting her lips. Remarkably similar to her father.

A soft yet commanding voice rang out behind him. "That was during our trip to North America."

Heero turned in his chair as Une swung the door closed behind her, stepping inside. Save the new lines pulling at her eyes and mouth, she looked the same as during the War. Perhaps a few grey strands here and there; the Lady made no effort to disguise her experience. She jostled the papers in her hand.

"The girl's grown," he said as he placed the frame back. "She's healed."

Une smiled. "Well enough. You'd notice if you came by to say hello once in a while. Relena does," she added, coming around the table and dropping the stack of documents onto its surface.

Heero frowned.

"You wanted to see me."

awz"I did," Une nodded to the paperwork as she folded down into her chair. "The interrogation left me little time to debrief you. I'll assume you watched Relena's press conference."

His voice was low. "She lied to the public. She said she wasn't in danger."

"That's all true," the woman replied. "There were no explosives and as far as we know, the public is safe. Saying anything more would compromise our ongoing missions, Relena knows that."

"I don't understand."

A line appeared between Une's eyebrows. She folded her arms. "About what?"

"Aren't you going to lecture me? About killing that boy."

Une raised a single eyebrow. "When has lecturing you ever given me what I wanted?"

"I'm not going to pretend I'm sorry for killing him." The words came out of his mouth easily enough, but they had a sour taste. For an absurd moment, he didn't really believe them.

Eventually, Une said, "I didn't ask you to be."

They both looked at each other.

"I thought—"

"I'm not happy about it," she went on with a frustrated sigh and a ghost of a smile, " and I'm sure I used a few choice words when I was informed. But, we can't un-do it now, can we? Besides," she caught his eye, "something tells me you've already had a lecture." She meant Relena; how she looked at him when the man fell dead- how she looked at him before he'd left for the interrogation.

Relena's disapproval was worse than getting yelled at.

Time to divert the conversation.

Heero shifted in his chair. "You received my message."

Une nodded, hand tracking across the computer screen, which awoke under her touch. "You're taking all the pilots?"

"Ferox knows who we are. Somehow, I think it was meant for all of us."

"And he's not trying to kill you all in one fell swoop?"

Heero smirked. "If you're able to successfully bar Chang or Barton from coming with us, I'll give you a medal."

Une couldn't help but laugh. "At least I have Sally to pick up the slack while her partner's away."

"We need her to run the satellites for us."

"Hmm. Now I remember why I put you on guard duty. When you go on missions, you take nearly half my team away from me."

He gave her a small smile.

Eyes darting from the screen to his, she grew serious. "I want you to keep me informed this time, is that clear? I'm tired of hearing what your up to from somebody else."

"Roger that," he nodded, standing to leave. "Am I dismissed?"

She waved him off. "Ferox is on sub-floor seven; if you want to see him before you head off into the desert. And Heero—"

He stopped halfway to the door, pivoting back to look at her.

She looked him dead in the eye. "Don't let that man undo everything you've worked for. Remember, he was the scientist like the other four, except he hid instead of sacrificing himself for the good of the mission. Men like that are cunning and selfish, which makes them very dangerous."

"I'll keep that in mind," he murmured, turning back, striding out of her office. He nearly ran into Trowa in the hall.

"Good…morning?" The man said with a hint of amusement. As Heero's shoulders sagged, he added, "I thought I told you to get some rest."

"Maxwell," Heero groaned.

"Ah," his face softened with a smile. "It makes sense now. I got your message." Trowa's eyebrow drew down slightly. "Do you need me to bring anything?"

Good question. "The usual assortment. Do you still have some of that compact C4?"

"I do."

"And gasmasks for all of us." Heero thought for a moment, and then said measuredly, "That laser cutter being demoed for the Mars project."

Trowa shoved one hand into his pocket, the other clutching his computer pad. "I could see if they'd let me borrow it. It's shipping up in a few weeks though, so we'll have to bring it back in one piece."

"It's just a precaution."

"Right. Well," Trowa nodded towards Une's office, "duty calls. Are you going to see Ferox?"

Heero grunted. To be honest, he wasn't sure. There was an itching desperation to hear what the man had to say, but the Lady was right too—Ferox was dangerous. It would be much more prudent to let him rot without another audience to boost his ego.

But if he could get more information about what they might face tomorrow…

Trowa smiled, "I'll see you around."

They parted ways.

* * *

The cool water slipped through his fingers as he pulled downward towards his side. It was the only way he clear his mind at times; the lap pool on Subfloor One.

He'd worked on a bit on the mission preperations an hour before. Quatre had one of his larger jets chartered, and the control tower logs were already properly doctored. The blonde had looked quite eager to get back into the field, and had shown Heero he was wearing the Preverter's jacket they'd gifted him last year on the video chat. When Heero reassured him it was only a routine scout and report, Quatre waved him off.

"_Anything to get me away from all this paperwork."_

Heero's lungs burned as he flipped against the tiled wall of the pool. Two laps without breathing. He could make it another.

"How was dinner last night," he had said, tapping his pencil upon the desk, in a tone that meant he was reluctant to ask.

"_Great! I always enjoy seeing the girls."_

Heero let out a snort. "Even Dorothy?"

"_The President?" _Quatre smiled. _"Of course. Relena too. She always keeps me up to date with what's going on between you to."_

Heero paled, and then flushed, all in the space of about half a second; his body going ridged.

After a terrifyingly silent moment—

"_All the exciting lectures and horrible luncheons you have to deal with."_

"…Hn."

But there was a glint to Quatre's eye.

Reaching the other end of the Olympic-sized lane, Heero's head breached the surface of the water, lungs taking in huge heaving breaths.

As he floated there, water dripping into his eyes, panting, he realized they were all laughing at him.

Who was he trying to fool anymore?

His steps made wet footfalls over the men's changing room floor. He popped open his locker. Tossing the goggles inside, plus the swim shorts, he pulled his towel off the little shelf and meandered over to the wall showers.

As Heero stepped under the spigot, the doors at the back of the room opened, and Wufei Chang came around the back row carrying a duffle bag, stopping a few lockers down from his.

"I've been doing more surveillance on those coordinates," the man said curtly without so much of a 'hello', setting his bag down on the bench. "There's nothing out there. It's just a desert. If they're sending down suits there's no backup nearby."

"We're going to need Sally on the satellite."

Wufei snorted. "I thought as much. She was… excited." He sat down next to the bag and began changing into his gi. The shower squeaked off and Heero pulled his towel from the rung. "Oh yeah," Wufei added with a sidelong glance and smirk, as if he'd just remembered something.

Heero wrapped the towel round his waist and gave the other pilot a questioning look.

Wufei's smirk deepened as he stood to rifle through his locker. "Relena's in the building."

He thought a moment as to the appropriate reply.

But Wufei didn't give him a chance before saying,"Maxwell's already got a hold of her."

Fuck.

As soon as the curse entered his mind, the doors at the back of the changing room banged open once more. Before the pencil skirt came into view, they could hear her heels clicking over the floor. Both men froze.

Heero gave a barely audible huff of incredulity. What the hell was she doing?

Wufei jumped back with a clang against the metal locker as Relena rounded the corner. In an action that would have made Heero laugh given any other circumstance, the man leaned away from the oncoming Foreign Minister and pressed his discarded shirt against his still-bare chest.

"Damn it, woman!"

She gave Wufei a very bland look, but her gaze was fierce as it eventually rounded on him.

The fingers that held the towel closed against his hip clenched almost unconsciously. It was automatic; "Good morning."

His easy tone seemed to catch her off-guard. She stopped in her tracks. Her hair was let down today, he noticed; it fell over the shoulders of her blouse.

"Do you—" she regained her composure. "Do have a moment?" Her words were firm, but kind too. The question was as simple as if they were standing in the middle of the Embassy building, or the small room of his apartment. Except for his… nakedness. Well, his apartment, so…

He straitened up, military precision in the square of his shoulders. "Is there an emergency?"

"There'd better be, otherwise there's no reason for a person to just barge in here…" Wufei grumbled under his breath as he gathered up his things.

For the first time since her _barging in_, Relena blushed.

"Don't bother apologizing," Wufei said as quickly as she opened her mouth, "I was just leaving." He closed his locker with a sharp _twang_ and stalked off without another word to either of them.

Heero had moved not a muscle, keeping a steady gaze on Relena's face. She looked very suddenly out of place, like she didn't rightly know how she came to find herself the men's locker room.

Once the other pilot's footfalls had faded, she seemed to regain a bit of her former venom.

"As Foreign Minister I am to be informed of all missions—" she began hotly.

"You can cut the act," he interrupted. She stared at him, openmouthed. "Whatever you want, you can just ask me." He hoped he sounded sincere. "There's no need to pull rank with me, Relena."

"Oh. But I—" The way she looked at him, it was like for the first time. Her eyes crinkled, and a glowing smile of self-amusement seemed to lift her right up off the ground. Her eyes fled towards the ceiling before she covered them delicately with her hand. "You know," her voice was slightly muffled, "every time I resolve myself to be furious with you it never works." She sank in one fluid motion onto the wooden bench.

He smiled, but she didn't see. He knew she had every right to be angry. He'd been acting odd lately, even for him, even before the Ferox business.

She folded her arms, looking over at him. "I'm sorry."

Heero pulled his shirt from the locker and hung it over the open metal door. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Fine then," she gave him a badly concealed glance out of the corner of her eye when he—as casually as he could— unwrapped the towel from his waist. "It's an apology in advance."

"Hn." He pulled the rest of his clothing out and began to dress. "What have you done this time?"

Relena scoffed. "I haven't done anything…" the '_yet'_ was left unsaid.

Heero buttoned his fly, finally able to towel off his hair, which had been dripping onto his shoulders. "This was supposed to be a covert mission." He tossed the towel asides and shrugged on his collared shirt.

Relena stood. "Duo is bad a keeping secrets. Especially when given the chance to annoy you."

"Hn," he grunted.

Heero paused on the middle button as she took a step closer, her fingertips brushing his, taking their time to linger against his skin before she grasped the shirt instead. He stood there, arms still bent, as she dressed him.

She looked up as she finished the last button. "And I seem to have some persuasive skills."

His voice rumbled. "Does it work on me?"

She sighed, eyes fluttering closed. "Not usually. Sometimes," she amended, blinking slowly.

He reached out to grasp her hands, but not before smoothing a lock of hair away from her eyes. He gently pulled her fingers from his person. "The answer is no, Relena"

"No? But you don't even know what I'm going to—"

"You want to come with us."

"He pretended to blow me up, Heero. I think I deserve to go with you."

"Maybe if we knew what we were up against; if we knew it was just an asteroid. But it could easily be a weapon. Or a mobile suit."

Relena waved him off. "I've survived far worse."

He frowned. "You have an unhealthy obsession for running headlong into dangerous situations."

Her fingers curled around his hands where they held her. She was incredulous. "You do it all the time! How is that not com_pletely_ hypocritical?"

Heero let out a short chuckle. Wasn't it obvious? "Because you're important. I'm expendable."

"You are _not_," she said with harsh emphasis, wrenching her hands away and looking angry.

His laughter died in his throat. He frowned deeply. "I didn't mean—"

"Yes you did," she said in a hard voice. "You meant exactly what you said."

He did. Because he believed it was true. She could go on without him, surely. The world still needed an idealistic, peaceful woman like Relena. It didn't need an ex-soldier with recurring nightmares.

"I'll should go…" she said finally. "I was a fool to think I could persuade you."

She was right about that.

"Relena." He caught her wrist pulling her back closer to his chest.

She blushed. He saw the way her eyelids drooped just a fraction.

"I know you don't like feeling protected, or sheltered," he began quietly. They were so close he only had to whisper. "You're too strong and too brave." Her lips pressed together as his thumb traced her cheekbone. "But it's not always for _your sake_ that I keep you in the dark."

"Oh really?" She said with a glint to her eye.

The air in his lungs felt oddly heavy.

"These are unpredictable situations, Relena. I can't always keep my focus if you're… distracting me."

She wrinkled her nose. "Be careful. That sounded like a compliment." It had? He blinked at her, watching in silence. "Once again," she sighed, "I simply can't stay mad at you."

He let out a relieved breath. "The feeling's mutual."

"I hope so," she murmured offhandedly as she tipped upward to kiss his cheek. "Duo will be disappointed. I don't think he succeeded in annoying you."

"Give him time. It's only ten o'clock."

Relena grinned cheekily at him, but in the back of their minds they were both aware: if they lingered for too long, someone was bound to interrupt.

"I'll write up a report for you when we return," he told her as he packed up. Relena just nodded. For all her storming in, she certainly she seemed pacified enough. He was used to her being more adamant, more grudging. But this time it had been… easy.

She bid him goodbye—she had a meeting at eleven—and snuck her way back out the locker room with a bit more caution then then when she came in.

Heero listened to her tiptoed footfalls as they faded out the door.

In one of the empty conference rooms, before finishing his work and against his better judgment, Heero logged on to the Preventer's internal servers. It was easier to hack into the lockup's security feed, rather than input some equally hackable password-username combination.

A few swift keystrokes and he was in. From the small, camouflaged camera in the upper corner of the room, he could look down into Ferox's cell.

The man sat on the floor, staring at the wall.

For several minutes he watched and wracked his brain, trying to come up with some idea as to what was in store for them tomorrow, but he could think of nothing. Perhaps the 'meteor' would give them answers.

His phone buzzed. Heero took his eyes off the screen momentarily to send the call to voicemail, but when he returned—

Ferox had tilted his head upward to the ceiling, gaze locked unblinkingly with the concealed camera.

* * *

A/n- Sorry about the short chapter. I was going to combine chapters 7 & 8 but it would have been really long, and I would have missed this weekend's upload deadline.

So, I'll be uploading chapter 8, which will also be a bit short, later on in the week. Chapter 9 should still be coming at the end of the month.

Thanks for reading, please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Quixotic

* * *

**Chapter 8**

* * *

"I'll tell ya," Duo Maxwell said in a loud voice, arms stretched up over his head, "she's no Gundam, but she's certainly a thing of beauty."

"Thanks," Quatre mumbled, a bit pink, as the three made their way across the tarmac towards the cargo aircraft. It was a little bigger than what Relena might take traveling from conference to conference; big enough for an extra cache of firearms.

Duo turned from where he'd skipped head, walking backwards and saying, "I heard Trowa's bringing the laser." His face lit up. "Well? Is he?"

Quatre's gaze flicked to Heero, who gave a nod. The American's eyes rolled up with glee.

The belly of the plane gaped open. As they approached, Wufei jumped down from inside from where the loading ramp extended. "The satellite link-up's been installed," he said, handing them all earpieces, looking smug with himself. His eyes turned toward Quatre. "Glad to see you're coming with us."

"Yeah!" Quatre exclaimed. "Trowa said you built the new satellite sync chip yourself!"

Wufei hiked his thumb. "Come on. I'll show you how it works."

Heero watched the two disappeared into the plane before Duo tapped on his shoulder with the back of his knuckles. "Hey man, here comes Trowa. With some other guy."

Checklist in his hand, Trowa guided a pallet stocked with various forms of weaponry over towards them. Heero's gaze was first attracted to the large stockpile, but his focus slowly trailed to the small soldier pushing the load—a petite figure in Preventer's fatigues, whose cap was pulled down low against the bright sun rebounding off the asphalt.

Probably someone from the science department, sent to make sure they didn't break their new laser toy.

"Get this loaded. There's a auto-lift panel inside," Trowa said to the grunt, before giving Duo and Heero a kind smile. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah," Heero replied, grabbing a handle on the inside of the plane's hold and pulling himself up. "As soon as your cargo's secure."

If the engine sounded quiet outside the craft, it was a bare hum within the cabin. It was amazing how much they had achieved in so few years. At times he wondered what it would have been like if the Gundams were built now instead of when he was fifteen. That was a dangerious thought, and he quickly learned to banish it from his mind.

Beyond the bay doors it looked like any other luxury jet; desks, computer screens, and rows of leather swivel chairs spaced about the cabin. Duo slid into the nearest chair, his momentum swinging him around and around and around—

"Maxwell!" A voice snapped from the cockpit. "Stop playing around and get up here!"

He vaulted out of the chair so fast it was left spinning on its own. He called as he went, "Hey! That's _Captain_ Maxwell to you, buddy!"

Heero sat down heavily in one of the recliners, exhausted. He'd spent the night at HQ and got about as good a sleep as when he slept on the floor. Staring out at the glittering Tower, his mind wandered back to Ferox's cold eyes staring up into the security camera.

Heero closed his with a smirk. This mission will be over soon enough, he thought. Another insane man put out to pasture. It didn't matter if he was acquainted with Operation Meteor or some religious faction; they were all the same. Except this one was a coward.

For the first time in a long time, Heero Yuy felt a rushing pleasure when he imagined putting that man, his enemy, down for good.

The hydraulic sound of the plane's belly pulling up brought him out of his daydream. The craft began to move upon the tarmac, and it's vibrations shifted something inside of him. He was suddenly alert, and a bit agitated. His hand upon the armrest clenched before he stood.

He passed Quatre on the way into the cockpit.

"Wufei's just finishing up. Are you co-pilot?" the blonde asked, moving to one of the passenger chairs.

"We'll see," he replied in a low tone, poking his head beyond the blast-proof door. He looked at Wufei, who was flipping the last panel gauge. "Mind if I take over?"

Wufei smirked. "Still need to ride shotgun, huh?"

Heero frowned, but took the chair that was offered him. As the door closed behind Wufei's back, he looked after. He caught a glimpse of Trowa and Quatre conversing with the soldier they'd brought along before the door closed with a _snap_.

"Alright everybody," Duo's voice came through on speaker, "hope you're all strapped in." He clicked the mic off with a touch to his earpiece.

Wufei was right, Heero thought as he cinched in his belt and the plane began to pick up speed, g-force pressing him back into his chair.

This feeling.

His fingers twitched on the armrest.

Just like the simulator from his training with Doctor J. Just like every time he'd throw his hand-grips forward, the whole length of his arm extended and taunt as his Gundam broke the sound barrier. Mind focused. Teeth grit. Adrenaline pumping.

The cargo plane was nearly vertical in its takeoff.

Their pilot had a flair for the dramatic.

Duo's cowboy-like whoop of laughter echoed about the cockpit as they breached the cloud line, so even with the mic turned off, the others probably heard him. As he sat there, stone-faced and calm, Heero finally grasped why his American friend meant so much to him. Maxwell always seemed able to voice exactly what Heero was thinking.

"Man, that never gets old."

"Yeah."

Duo's hand strayed towards the com. "This is your captain speaking. We're currently cruzin at about forty-one thousand feet so yur all free to move about the cabin. Estimated time of arrival… 1445." The speaker pinged. "So," he said once the microphone was off and he'd turned towards Heero. "What did you— aw man. Really?"

Heero's head was already nodded down to his chest, arms crossed and eyes closed.

Duo grumbled something along the lines of, "_Every damn time."_

But Heero couldn't help it. Something about the familiarity of the cockpit made him feel easy— lighter. Sometimes it felt like the only comfortable position for him anymore, and he took sleep where he could.

In his mind there were visions of Gundams and simulated space flight; the rushing roar of the sea around his sinking mobile suit; the strain of his muscles after hours and hours of battle; death. Always the same.

_Heero…_

Except sometimes _she_ would be there too, emerging from the burning wreckage of whatever he'd destroyed, dress whipping around her body; the same school uniform she wore during their first dance. He couldn't really call those times nightmares, although seeing her rise from the ashes did, at times, strike some deep, animalistic fear inside him.

After what felt like just a handful of moments, a soft chime roused him from his sleep.

"We're here," Duo said with a yawn. "About fifteen minutes from the meteor's impact." He tapped one of the gauges and let down the landing gear— specially crafted for desert conditions. "Wufei says the touch-down coordinates are outside the blast radius." Duo stained as the wing flaps caught against the wind, slowing them down as they dropped in altitude.

"You're coming in too steep," Heero said evenly as the rolling sand raced up to meet them.

"Hah! She'll take it!"

The landing skis touched down, bounced once, and the body of the craft tipped dangerously forward. Wufei's sharp curse could be heard back in the cabin, but Duo was able to maneuver the controls. They slid a few hundred feet before, and with a great creaking _thump_, settled back down onto the surface of the dune.

Heero gave his friend a cool glare. Duo just grinned.

"Told ya."

"I want full readings," he said, un-hooking his harness

"You got it."

They unloaded quickly and efficiently. Wufei took his spot in the cockpit, linking up with the satellite and patching his mic down to them.

"_Are we live?" _A familiar voice came in over the radio. Back at headquarters, Sally most likely sat before a large bank of computer screens and remote control joysticks. From there she could reposition any of the in-orbit satellite stations.

"_Affirmative," _was Wufei's reply.

Heero jumped down from the belly into the sand, trudging over to where Duo sat on one of the plane's skis, facing the appropriate direction. The American handed over a pair of digital binoculars, looking back out through his own. They could hear Trowa talking to his assistant in the back, directing them to unpack certain devices should they need them.

"How long?" Heero asked in a low voice.

Duo checked his watch. "Five minutes. We're getting this recorded, yeah?"

"_Unless your coordinates were wrong,"_ came Sally over the feed. Duo made a face. _"I saw that."_

Wrinkling his nose, he looked skyward. "Yeah," he drawled sarcastically. "Almost forgot."

And then they waited, the faint sound of wind off the dunes creating a strange background whirl.

From around the back of the plane, Trowa hiked to where they were standing, the scientist lagging behind, hanging back nervously. "Do you want the masks?" He asked them.

"Not yet." Heero gave them a passing glance before-

Quatre, in the cockpit with Wufei, let out an excited noise _"I've picked it up on radar! It's coming from deep space, just outside the orbit of Mars."_

Wufei did a quick re-calculation. _"Five degrees south-west. It's entering the atmosphere."_

It only took a moment for the object to hurdle into the planet's path. Across the gulf of sand, up in the sky, there came a small light which grew in intensity.

They stood there, transfixed, until a great flash lit up the already bright afternoon and the boom of a broken sound barrier rattled the world; a violent storm of light and sound.

And in that moment, from over his shoulder, came a soft, "Oh god."

Heero tore his eyes away, turning sharply where he stood. The pulled-low cap worn by the grunt scientist had been torn away by the wind, revealing a tight blonde-haired bun.

The red flash of impact lit across Relena's face as she stood open-mouthed, looking over his shoulder. She winced away as the earth around them shuddered, a hand shooting out to steady herself against the side of the plane.

For a moment Heero could not move. He was convinced, for half a second, that he was seeing things. It wasn't until the shower of sand and dust had settle,d and Duo had turned around to say, "Whoa, Princess. The hell you doing here?" that Heero snapped out of his utter shock.

"_We've got a picture of the crash site,"_ came Wufei's voice, but Heero paid it little attention as he stalked over to where Relena stood up against the hull.

She looked ashamed, found out, and wouldn't meet his gaze.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't find the right words. Instead he worked his face back into a cold mask and grabbed her wrist, gripping it tight, pulling her over to the open belly of the plane.

As they stepped up onto the gangplank, he murmured, "I'll kill Barton."

"It wasn't his fault. I made him," Relena whispered as her back pressed up against the mesh netting inside the hold. He held her there under his grip.

He glowered at her. "Made him?"

Relena attempted a coy smirk, but it came off as a watery smile. "I'm very… persuasive?" Heero growled, letting her go, turning his back. Her hand shot out to rest on his arm. "Don't be angry, please. I wanted to see it for myself. Please."

He pivoted toward her once more, deep frown pulling his brows together, ready to ask her exactly _how_ he was suppose to keep his promise of protecting her if she never listened to a word he said, when a voice made them turn.

"Hey!" Quatre emerged from the cabin. He took one wide-eyed look between them, gulped, and then said, "The meteor. It deployed a parachute."

It took them over ten minutes to trudge down to the edge of the crash site.

The false hope Heero had harbored, that the object was simple chunk of space rock, were quickly dashed.

A small, gleaming, egg-shaped object rested on its side down below them.

It was a pod, no bigger than his motorbike. Two chutes had deployed to lessen the impact; they lay deflated over the back of the 'craft', draped down onto the ground. Even so, it had made a sizable crater in the soft sand.

They stood atop the embankment, looking down. Wufei had brought along one of the portable computer pads, fingers whizzing over the surface as Sally relayed the satellite data down for him to analyze.

Heero turned towards their weapons expert, holding out his hand. "Drill."

Trowa handed over the small, baton-shaped device. Heero hooked his foot over the sandy ledge.

"You're going down there?"

He turned his head toward Relena, who stood between Duo and Quatre, looking apprehensive. He had to force his brain to believe she was really there. He grunted in affirmation, vaguely annoyed at her questioning his mission tactics.

Wufei started to follow. "I'll go with you."

"If something goes wrong," Heero said in controlled monotone while giving Duo a sidelong glance. "Get in the plane and go. Don't wait."

Duo nodded solemnly. He and the remaining three watched Heero and Wufei's retreating backs as they made their way down the dune, boots kicking up dust.

"For the record," Wufei murmured, head bent into his charts as they went, "I had no idea she was onboard. These missions are no place for a woman."

Heero did not reply.

In the center of the crater, the pod glistened a pearly white. Some kind of hard plastic that could withstand atmospheric entry; it wasn't Gundanium. That afforded him a small amount of comfort, even as he pulled his pistol from the back waistband of his fatigues.

In one hand he leveled the gun towards the foreign object, his other held the drill. The craft didn't seem to have a discernible hinges or panels. They'd have to cut it open.

With a whirling tiny motor, the laser tip sparked and hummed. Wifei stood several paces away, but Heero crept closer, lowering the drill's white-hot blade towards the smooth exterior.

He hadn't even touched it yet when it made a sudden, loud _crack. _With a sharp crinkle, a fissure in the white casing began to appear, growing wider.

Heero froze, weapon raised.

As the top of the shell slid away, a hiss of depressurization sent a puff of vapor into the air. It quickly evaporated.

He narrowed his eyes. That could only mean there were life support systems on board.

The shell paused half way, as if it might have been stuck; it was still too cloudy to see what lay inside. With a grunt of effort, Heero brought a boot up to push against the lid, giving it a hard shove with his heel. It issued a rough scraping sound, the top falling back against the sand.

Heero held his breath, leaning farther in, finger sliding up a bit closer towards the trigger.

Inside, as the desert air absorbed the mist, little diodes and blinking lights began to appear. Cushy padding and plastic molding sculpted the small, cramped space, from which tubes and wires protruded like strands of hair.

Except—

There _was_ hair, mingled there within the wires.

Even as the gun barrel pointed down into the tiny spaceship, it dropped a fraction of an inch as the sight took Heero by surprise.

Curled up in the fetal position, knees against chest, arms wrapped around the lower legs, lay a child. So thin, he could see each vertebra in the spine as the neck bent down into the chest. And the neck… although electrodes were adhered all over the body, at the base if the skull there was a small, round, metal-riveted port. From the port, a thick cable protruded, curling back into the on-board computer.

Heart beating wildly, turning off and pocketing the drill, Heero reached out to touch the blinking panel, but jumped back with a curse of surprise as it beeped loudly and then disengaged, the hose falling from its attachment under the skin.

The body stirred.

"The hell…?" he heard Wufei whisper.

A long curtain of silvery-white hair slowly rose up out of the pod, facing away from them. Thin, boney shoulders came next as the figure sat up, looking around.

Heero cocked his pistol.

At the sound, the figure paused, turning slowly.

It was a young girl.

Naked and pale, her bare breasts and arms shone in the sun. She regarded those upon the ridge, then Wufei, finally turning fully to stare at the figure closest- Heero Yuy.

His lips were parted in surprise as the girl's bright lilac eyes pierced his own.

Her face was blank, but as she regarded him, something within her seemed to come to life, and as Heero stared back he might have thought, just maybe, that she looked a bit familiar…

The girl blinked, rotating in her craft so her body crouched like an animal. What wires hadn't been stripped away by her movement, clung to her like taunt marionette strings.

In a soft voice, she asked with child-like serenity, "Are you my enemy?"

He aimed for her head.

Even from the ridge, he could hear Relena's voice— "Don't shoot!" –just like on stage at the Terraformation conference.

At her words, Heero faltered.

And the gun drooped.

And the girl pounced.

* * *

A/n- Hope this cliffhanger leaves you… hanging :0


	9. Chapter 9

Quixotic

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

The moment she touched him, her hands like claws against his jacket, the world winked out of sight. Heero Yuy no longer saw the twisted face of a young girl—child really—pale, almost translucent skin pulled back in a snarl.

He saw-

Darkness… and then came a brief flash of bright golden light, blinding, all consuming, and superimposed upon that light were flashes of a different kind; so vivid they left him breathless.

Memories.

Images of places he'd been but had completely forgotten, faces of people he hadn't thought of in years. Things he didn't even _know _he had remembered.

_He was posing for a picture, two figures on either side bending down as the camera shutter snapped, his toy clutched in his hands—_

_His mother's head pitched back as she laughed at her husband's foolishness—_

_The base exploding. On the television screen he saw great plumes of smoke and fire bellowing into the colony as overhead sirens blared all around him—_

Each time the memory changed there came a beeping in the background. Faint, but slowly growing in volume and cadence like a racing pulse. It was… familiar somehow…

Zero's targeting protocol.

_He was running towards the scene of the attack, ducking behind emergency crew lines and sneaking around military checkpoints, hugging the little Leo to his chest. Maybe if he was able to get there in time. Maybe he could save them both._

_Crouching down to avoid a group of evacuating residents, he bolted towards the other side of an alleyway. _

Almost there!

_A hand closed around his shoulder, yanking him into the shadows so fast, the Leo dropped from his hands. _

"_Not so fast there, son."_

What he'd locked away in the darkest corners of his mind had all come spilling back out. Like his brain was being split in two.

_The first time he'd held a gun. Target practice for hours. Simulation drills. Living on the run. Never in one place for more than a few days. Left to fend for himself to test his progress. The dismantling and reassembling of firearms. Network hacking. Rebel basecamps. Impromptu political theory. A man with a metal hand. _

_The photograph…_

"_You see this man?" Odin dangled a snapshot over their tin-can campfire. Through the flames he could see a dark-haired guy in a suit standing upon a stage, arm outstretched toward the crowd in a sign of comradery. _

"_Who is he?"_

_Odin huffed through his nose, "Heero Yuy."_

"… _you killed him."_

_Odin nodded, pointing to the man's head with a finger. "Right between the eyes. Just like you're going to do tomorrow."_

His first kill. The first in a long line of many, even after Odin had died, when he came into the care of another.

_Ash and snow fell down all around him; on the body of a dog half buried in the rubble—_

So many lives…

_Doctor J looked up at him in the cockpit. "Let's decide on a code name," his mechanical hand clicked. "I've borrowed the name of the late pacifist colony leader."_

"_Roger that."_

_On stage at St. Garbiel's, his voice echoed around the stuffy classroom. Among the students, the girl from the beach watched him with wide eyes and parted lips. "My name is Heero Yuy."_

My name is Heero Yuy.

_A boy in an explosive vest fell dead as a bullet sank into his brain._

My name—

_Behind a podium, a young man slumped forward, sniper round piercing his skull._

My name is—

_Ferox grinned at him from across the table. _

"Heero!"

His eyes snapped open as the back of his head hit sand. There was a moment of disorientation as he lay there, where the clawing, snarling weight on his chest tried to rip him apart, but Wufei had immediately jumped into action.

Wrestling the girl from behind, the other pilot hooked his arms under her flailing limbs and dragged her off his chest. There came an uncomfortable keening sound as she lashed out, legs kicking, but Wufei held her tight, wedging her against the pod with his body.

"Are- you alright?" He managed to ask over one shoulder.

Heero didn't answer. All that came out was a stiff sounding groan as he clutched his head, trying to sit up. His temples were pounding, blood rushing in his ears.

What the hell was that?

It felt like he'd been run over by a truck. Or maybe self-destructed.

He rolled to one side, arm bent under his chest, lifting his shoulders off the ground just enough to catch sight of the others running towards them. Relena, who had called his name, sprinted towards him, showering his legs with sand as she skidded to a halt and dropped to her knees.

"What happened?!" She said frantically, hands splayed over his body, checking for wounds. But it was just his jacket, scuffed and torn from the girl's nails.

He looked up into her bright, wide eyes. "How long was I out?"

She blinked. "How long?" Her voice raised in worry. "She jumped, you fell. I don't-"

But that was impossible. He had seen… how could he have seen so much in just a few seconds?

"You're hurting her!" came Quatre's sudden exclamation.

They both looked up in time to see Wufei scoff as he pulled the girl's wrists down roughly behind her back. "She was trying to kill him."

Trowa started forward but Relena slowly stood, turning towards them.

"Be gentle with her." Her voice, once frantic over his concern, was now a firm sort of calm. It was the same tone she used to address her Nation; the world. It was instantly commanding. They all turned to look at her, even the girl, whose flailing stilled.

"She won't hurt anyone if we treat her kindly." Her eyes locked with Wufei's. "Please let her go."

The man released his grip immediately, stepping back, turning away. Sally must have squawked in on his private line because Wufei slowly retreated with a hand to his earpiece. "Yes," he snapped, eyes darting to Relena and away again. "I can hear you."

Duo bent a knee and offered Heero his hand. "You alright there, buddy?"

"Yeah," Heero managed as he was pulled into a sitting position. They all watched, even Quatre and Trowa, as Relena slowly advanced towards the girl. The frail creature had shrunk back against the side of the pod, trying to hide her face behind her arm.

"It's alright." Relena bent down, her hand outstretched. "Don't be afraid, no one is going to hurt you. Come on."

The girl didn't budge. She was shaking, squinting from the sun, and naked with sand sticking to her thighs and arms.

Quatre slipped out of his honorary-issue jacket and held it out, mimicking Relena's posture and tone. "You should wear this. You'll get burned otherwise."

The corner of Relena's mouth quirked upwards as the girl hesitated, but then took a tentative step towards the outstretched clothing. With boney fingers she gripped the jacket and dragged it towards her. Quatre let go as the girl pulled it on.

Relena used the opportunity to inch closer, whispering, "You're safe now." The girl was on edge, like a trapped animal, but she did not move away as Relena smoothed back her long white locks. Wide, dilated eyes darted from one unfamiliar face to another, but they always seemed to come back to Heero, who batted away Duo's hand as he slowly got to his feet.

"There," Relena said with a kind smile as she wiped sand off the girl's forearm. "That's better isn't it? Here, let me help you." Her hands reached for jacket's buttons. "Can you talk? What's your name?"

A spark of life ignited within the girl. "Heero Yuy," she quipped shyly.

"You're not._"_

The way they all looked at him, he might as well have shouted it. Heero took a step forward and narrowed his eyes, heart thumping uncomfortably.

"Don't lie." His voice was deadly; he hadn't sounded so ruthless with so little effort in such a long time. "Answer Relena's question," he added darkly. "What is your name?"

"Z-Zero…?" the girl said, sounding a bit scared and confused as to why she was being asked a second time.

A muscle in Heero's jaw twitched.

Behind him, he heard Duo Maxwell let out a low whistle. "Freaky…"

"I'm going to ask you once more," Heero rumbled, advancing further. The girl shrank back into the jacket, hunching her shoulders. "Tell us your name."

Trembling, she whispered, "…Aoi Clark."

Relena looked at him, startled, but the other pilots didn't make the connection.

"Who?" Duo asked aloud.

"Aoi," Quatre repeated, thumb and forefinger raised to his chin. "But who could that be?"

"It doesn't matter!"

At Heero's loud bark the girl jumped, flinging herself into Relena's arms with a shriek of fear. She buried her head into Relena's chest and wailed.

The others looked on in shock.

"Whoa man," Duo murmured, giving Heero a startled glance. "Settle down."

"She's not any of those… people," he said again, quieter, but more firm. More controlled. He swallowed hard.

Relena watched him with a strange expression on her face. Curiosity. Helplessness. Maybe it was pity. He didn't like any of those options. "What do we do with her?" She asked them, rubbing gentle circles on the hiccupping girl's back.

"We should take her back with us," Trowa said in a calmer tone then the situation warranted. "We can have Sally check her out; run some tests."

"Is that really a good idea?" Duo quipped as he stretched out his back. "She could be one of Ferox's spies for all we know."

"We can't just leave her here," Quatre offered. "I'm with Trowa on this one. Besides, she'd just a kid."

"Yeah," Duo murmured out the side of his mouth, hands on his hips, "so we're _we_ during Operation Meteor." He shot a look in Heero's direction, who was glowering at the two women. "What do you think?"

Heero's jaw clenched. Quatre was right, they couldn't leave her; she'd die. Plus, a bit of testing _could_ give them more information… but whatever had happened, whatever she did to him, it wasn't right. It wasn't normal.

He must have looked like he was having second thoughts because Relena said quietly, "Heero…" He found her eyes. "Please."

He glared, yet relented. "Fine."

Duo bounced on his heels. "I'll get the winch. We can drag the pod up and store it in the cargo bay."

"Fine," Heero said again in the same dark tone, as he straightened his ruined jacket and turned on his heels to walk back up the dune. He didn't spare them another glance- not Relena and the girl, not Duo, Quatre, Trowa, or Wufei as he passed him on the way back to their aircraft. He didn't stop until he'd hoisted himself back inside the cabin and sat down heavily in one of the leather swivel chairs, his head in his hands.

_Right between the eyes._

_What was his name?_

_Heero Yuy._

Heero shook his head to try and rid himself of the memories, but they lingered like imprints from a dream.

His troubled thoughts kept him occupied until—

"Hey man, you ready to go?"

"Huh?"

Heero raised his head. Duo stood before him, hiking a thumb. "We're all packed up." At the nonplused look he scratched the back of his head, one eye squinting. "Geez, are you feelin' alright? You don't look so good."

Heero frowned, and turned to stare out the window.

There was a moment's silence before, "Hey…"

Heero stiffened as Duo knelt before him and clasped his kneecap. It was the most intimate contact he'd ever had with the man.

Voice uncommonly soft, uncharacteristic frown pulling at his eyebrows, Duo held his gaze. "If you need to talk about somethen…" His eyes cut away and back again, speaking quietly, "Sometimes I get these nightmares…"

But the sounds of the others made Heero pull away. Not physically, but he straightened up, slipping on his mask. "It's fine," he said in easy monotone. "Are you flying us out of here?"

"You wanna ride shotgun?" Duo stood.

"No." When Duo didn't leave he gave him another glance. "I need to speak with Relena," Heero clarified.

His friend took a deep breath, eyebrows jumping, but he did begin to move away. The noise from the cargo hold meant everything was loaded up. "Don't be too hard on her," the American whispered as he retreated, "love makes people do stupid things."

Heero glowered as the others spilled into the cabin. Wufei stalked silently the way Duo had gone without looking at anything or anyone. Quatre was talking animatedly to Trowa about the strange pod as they took their seats opposite the cabin; Relena found her way to the chair across from his, swiveling to face him. The girl was wrapped up against her chest, head lulling onto her shoulder. As she sat, Relena pulled the girl up tighter like a baby, and continued to sooth her back with soft fingertips.

"She fell asleep." Relena shifted her arm to loop under the girl's legs and hold her in place. "It must have been too much for her."

"Hn."

After a long moment she caught his gaze, a pained expression on her face.

"What happened out there, Heero?"

It was like he hadn't even heard her.

Relena shook her head, imploring. "I want to figure this out as much as you do. I want to help"

Heero's hand clenched on the armrest. "Like when you snuck your way onto this plane."

She wrinkled her nose. "Alright, I'm sorry about that. You were right," she huffed. "Does that make you feel better?"

No. It didn't.

"She's not right," he said in a low voice, looking at the child. "She's not normal."

"She fell out of the sky, Heero."

A muscle in his jaw twitched. "That's not what I mean."

"Then what _do_ you mean? What_ happened? _When you—"

"She showed me things," he said, and looked over to see Quatre and Trowa staring at them. There was no point and pretending any of this was private. There would be no hiding it. They were like a… family. Some twisted band of brothers. "It was like being inside Zero," he started, but stopped short. It sounded insane, even to him.

"You should see what she was hooked up to back there," Trowa remarked with a calculating tone. "It's pretty advanced. There's no telling what it's done to her. We need to give it a thorough examination."

The plane rumbled to life underneath them. To his credit, Duo took the takeoff a little smoother that time around.

Relena ran her fingers through the girls' long white hair, smoothing it. She brushed the metal port. Confusion and sadness pulled her lips into a frown, but all the while she didn't take her eyes off the man across from her. They stared at each other for a long while, neither speaking, until the adrenaline from the day's events drained from Relena's body and her eyelids began to droop. Heero watched as she leant back in the chair, studying her face until she joined the girl in sleep.

Relena's delicate eyebrows twitch as she dreamt, her lips pursing gently.

For the deration of the flight Heero sat in silence, ruminating.

He had to get a handle on all this before it started spinning out of control. _More_ out of control.

Ferox knew this would happen; knew the girl would be there. He _wanted_ Heero to find her. But why? Was he doing it for his own amusement? Did he have something to gain?

Why the ruse of becoming a cult leader?

The girl must have been part of his experiments. She had to be. But where did she come from? Deep space? The records they had on Ferox indicated he'd been living on Earth for the past few years, not traveling up to some remote science satellite.

Heero glared at the sleeping girl.

She had known those names. _Her _name.

Why?

His hands clenched so tight they hurt.

Damn it.

What if this was just the beginning? What if Ferox sent more troops? Heero should have been relieved that it hadn't been a mobile suit… but…

If there _was_ an army coming for them…

Heero had come to a sobering conclusion. Without their Gundams, with him and the others past their prime, they wouldn't stand a chance.

He looked to Relena's sleeping face.

Then so be it.

He would fight. He would fight and die defending this world they had created.

To protect her. To protect them all.

A few hours later their plane touched back down on Quatre's private airfield. Squinting in the evening sun, they began to disembark. The new jets were fast, but it had still taken them all day to fly round trip.

Duo hobbled out of the cockpit, yawning. "Man I'm wiped," he groaned, the aircraft powering down around them.

Trowa chuckled. "It _does_ come with autopilot."

As the others lowered the cargo hatch, coordinating how to get the pod onto a transport vehicle, Heero knelt down beside Relena's chair. A lock of hair had fallen over her face. He pushed it back behind her ear, thumb grazing over her cheek.

"Relena…"

"…hum?" She stirred, unconsciously leaning her face into his touch before her eyes fluttered open. "Are we home?"

That word struck him like a physical blow, but he remained outwardly impassive. "They're unloading the cargo now."

She nodded, but looked down at the sleeping figure in her arms. "What are we going to do with her, Heero?"

At least he'd figured out that much. "We'll take her to Une's. She can stay with Mariemaia. They're close in age."

"She's going be alright with that?" Relena whispered, carefully getting to her feet.

"Une wanted to stay up to date with my missions," he said with a shrug, "She can't get any closer that this."

Heero drove them to the far side of the city; the other pilots had stayed behind to take care of the cargo.

"Just go," Trowa had said to him, "we've got this covered. I'll tell Une your plans."

Heero nodded, but his glare was icy.

"Don't be mad a him," Relena had said from the back seat as Heero slid in behind the steering wheel. "He only did what I asked him to do."

"Hn."

But he couldn't dwell on it. They had bigger problems now.

By the time they reached Une's place of residence, she'd already phoned them. Heero pulled up to the curb in front of a row of Victorian-inspired townhomes as she asked him, "_You're coming into work tomorrow, yes?"_

No doubt she wanted another meeting.

"Yeah_," _Heero spoke into his earpiece as he put the car in park. "We're going to dismantle the craft. The girl will be brought by for testing."

"_Hmm," _Une mused, _"perhaps it would be better if she stayed hidden for now. I'll have Sally make a house call tomorrow."_

"Roger that."

The line went dead just as Relena made a soft noise of surprise in the back seat.

"Heero…"

He turned and unbuckled to look over his shoulder.

The girl was waking up.

She blinked her bright eyes; now out of the blinding desert sun, they seemed to almost glow. Like violet fiber optics. She sat up from where Relena had lain her down across the seat, head in her lap, and looked out the window.

Relena's head tilted to the side, smiling a little. "Aoi?" The name made Heero's chest clench.

"Can we go outside?" The girl's finger pressed against the glass so hard it turned and even paler shade of white. Her voice didn't seem to shake anymore; it was even, almost detached.

Relena let out an amused laugh, making sure the jacket was secured over the girl's shoulders. "Of course we can. Why couldn't we?"

The girl turned, but instead of looking back at Relena, she locked eyes with Heero in the front seat. "There's no air in space."

"We're not in space," he clipped coolly, "we're on Earth."

"Earth…?" It was like she'd never heard of it before. Her question followed him out the car as he went around back to the passenger side. As the door opened the girl clamped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide.

Heero stared down at her with a bored expression. Relena hid a laugh.

"Hurry up," he said before turning to walk the brick steps up to _#1301._ Behind him, he heard Relena helping the girl out of the car.

At the kid's gasping breath, followed by a noise surprise that she wasn't going to die, Heero closed his eyes and let out an exhausted sigh, hand reaching up to press the bell chime with a finger. But before he got the chance, the door was thrown open.

A fifteen-year-old Mariemaia stood on the other side, hip panted and arms folded over her chest. Upon seeing him she smirked. "You're late," she said, cocking her head, shortly cropped red hair shifting slightly as she did so.

Heero grunted as she stepped past him onto the porch. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the pair coming up to meet them.

"Who's that?" she whispered, nodding over his shoulder

"We're not sure," Heero answered, "but she'll be staying with you indefinitely."

Mariemaia brightened. "I'll finally have someone else to play target practice with." She gave him a sideways glance. "You're schedule's never been very reliable."

His lips twitched despite himself. "No one's suppose to know about that," he said quietly. "And no shooting. I don't want her near any of the firearms..."

"Good evening Miss Relena!" Mariemaia called out, talking over him and giving her a wave. "You'll pardon me for not coming down to meet you. My hip's been giving me a bit of grief as of late."

"That's fine," Relena hugged Mariemaia with her free arm; other hand holding Aio's tight. "How are you otherwise?"

The redhead shrugged. "Good. Bored. As usual. Come inside, please."

They quickly procured some clothing for the girl… well, Mariemaia raided her closet for a suitable outfit. Although they seemed close in age, Aoi was frailer, malnourished. The long-sleeve knit she was gifted hung down almost to her knees.

As Relena showed her the small fish tank against the far wall, Heero and Mariemaia spoke quietly in the kitchen. After relaying the short, abridged version of the day's events, there was a tense silence before Heero reminded her, "This is confidential information."

Mariemaia smiled with a glint in her eyes. She looked the spitting image of Treiz.

"Of course. My lips are sealed. But," and she pointed at Heero with a finger, "I want updates. _Plus, _you have to come visit more often. That's my babysitting fee."

The corner of Heero's mouth tilted up a fraction as he nodded. She was like Une, too.

He and Relena emerged from the townhome together almost an hour later. They'd left the girls sitting together on the couch, Mariemaia showing an open-mouthed Aoi the wonders of satellite television.

"She'll be alright until tomorrow at least." Relena massaged her temples as she slid into the front passenger seat. "She's very… disoriented, but that's to be expected after everything she'd been through." After a long pause she added, "Do you have _any_ idea as to why she's been sent here? Or who she really is?"

The cruiser rumbled to life. Heero was acutely aware of the look she was giving him as he pulled onto the highway.

"No," he answered after a moment.

"That thing on the back of her neck," Relena's fingers strayed absently to the base of her skull. "She was connected to that pod, wasn't she Heero?"

His hands tightened their grip upon the steering wheel.

Relena sighed, unzipping her loaner jacket and tossing it in the back seat, smoothing out her cotton button-up. "Hopefully Sally's tests will reveal something useful. Any additional information we have can be used to come up with something a bit more permanent."

"Permanent…" Heero echoed.

"A place for Aoi to stay."

"That's not her name."

"Heero…"

He growled, eyes trained on the road. "She's just a part of Ferox's scheme. At best she's a pawn. At worst she's our enemy."

"She's a _child!_ Besides, what _should_ we call her? _Zero? _She had no idea what her name was. Or where she'd landed. The poor thing had never even heard of Earth…" Relena trailed off, voice steeped in emotions Heero could not identify.

He changed lanes, prepared to exit into downtown toward her apartment, but Relena stopped him.

"Stay on the freeway."

"Relena…"

"I want to go home with you, Heero." She reached across the center console to touch his arm. "I don't want to be alone tonight, not after what's happened."

She was worried about _him_. She didn't want _him_ to be alone.

He let out a huff but did as he was bid. Her fingers lingered on the fabric of his sleeve for the duration of their ride.

Relena was right about one thing; the kid was certainly messed up in the head. She might even _need _their protection. But Heero knew a trap when he saw one, and a desperate child was the perfect cover for an infiltrating agent. Relena's incessant kindness was a handicap to his work on good days, but this was a worst-case scenario material.

"Heero?"

He looked over at her, startled out of his thoughts. "Huh?"

She gave him a small smile. "We've been sitting in your driveway for ten minutes…"

He looked up to see his motorbike parked along side them, the stairway to his front door a few feet ahead.

Damn, he sighed to himself. He was exhausted.

"I'm sorry," Relena continued, "about snapping at you earlier." She bit her lip, apologetic. "What happened out there was a shock for all of us, but for you… Aoi, that was your mother's name, wasn't it?"

He nodded stiffly and unbuckled his seat belt.

_The base was on fire, and the colony shook around him as one of the mobile suit fuel reserves exploded. Both his mother and father, or stepfather as he later learned, had been on-duty that day. Sirens wailed._

A wave of nausea roiled his stomach.

He abruptly got out of the car, not bothering to close the door behind him_._ He didn't wait to ascend the stairs or to unlock the door to his flat. As he stepped into the small space, Heero finally felt like he could breath again. Everything was as he'd left it: sparse and orderly. Familiar.

He opened the mini-fridge and extracted a can of soda, popping the tab, but he didn't take a sip. After a moment he set the can down again and gripped the edges of the counter, head bowed, trying to get his bearings.

Relena must have followed him inside— he hadn't even heard the door close. The warmth of her body pressed up against his back, arms snaking around his chest. She held him there for a long, long time, neither of them moving, just breathing together. Heero felt his body relax into her touch.

Whatever the future brought, Relena always made him feel like a pilot with the wind at his back, and they could deal with all the insanity tomorrow. Right now he needed this- needed her.

Heero turned and laid a hand gently upon Relena's back, pulling her nearer and leaning down to capture her lips with a kiss.

* * *

A/n- Little bit of a long chapter for you guys this month. I was going to post this on Friday, but I for sure have wifi right now, and it's better to be safe than sorry! I'm heading home from a nice little vacation and stopped at a hotel. I couldn't leave you guys hanging; besides, this was a good project for the 10-hour car rides XD

Review and let me know what you think!


End file.
